BISMARCK — North Dakota’s statewide mask mandate will expire at 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 18, as COVID-19 cases continue to drop in the state. Medical professionals have widely credited North Dakota’s mask mandate with reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the state, but Gov. Doug Burgum said on Friday, Jan. 15, he believes Read More…
South Dakota, a state that weathered months of criticism from the media and Democrats for how it handled the COVID-19 epidemic, has become a model for vaccine distribution while other states struggle. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, South Dakota is the third-most successful state in administering its provided coronavirus vaccines, following West Read More…
Smoke could be smelled for miles and the sky blazed red through the night in northwest South Dakota on Thursday, January 14. A grass fire broke out just after 4:30 p.m. in Adams County, North Dakota, just across the border from Lemmon, South Dakota. Wind speeds in Lemmon at the time were 30 to 40 Read More…
JACKSON —PAWS of Jackson Hole Executive Director Amy Moore’s four-person staff gathered in an office around the holidays to open a certified letter inbound from the Lynn and Foster Friess Family Foundation. Only one person present, PAWS Development Director David Watson, knew what was concealed within. “As we opened up the envelope, we had no Read More…
MISSOULA — Two Flathead Lake parcels are one step closer to becoming public property, and now it’s just a matter of money. On Monday, the Montana Land Board unanimously approved the Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) purchase of the 15-acre Montebello Fishing Access Site near Dayton and the 106-acre Somers Beach State Park near Somers. The Fish, Wildlife & Read More…
MISSOULA — Two Flathead Lake parcels are one step closer to becoming public property, and now it’s just a matter of money. On Monday, the Montana Land Board unanimously approved the Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) purchase of the 15-acre Montebello Fishing Access Site near Dayton and the 106-acre Somers Beach State Park near Somers. The Fish, Wildlife & Read More…
An autopsy has confirmed a man who died after a medical emergency mid-flight last week had COVID-19 and it likely caused his death. The 69-year-old man, identified by the coroner as Isais Hernandez, and his wife were on a United Airlines flight from Orlando to Los Angeles on December 14 when he had a medical emergency. The plane made Read More…
Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech will supply 100 million more doses of their coronavirus vaccine to the United States by this summer after protracted negotiations over how much the companies could deliver, given their commitments to other nations. The $1.95 billion agreement doubles the overall U.S. order for the vaccine to 200 million doses. Read More…
A Wendy’s employee in St. Louis was shot early on Tuesday morning, reportedly after an argument with a customer over dipping sauce. According to St. Louis’ FOX2, a man in a dark-colored Nissan came through the drive-thru at around 1 a.m. He reportedly asked for extra dipping sauce and was denied, which led to an argument Read More…
Entertainment legend Alan Horn is scaling back his duties with Disney company. The 77-year-old executive is stepping down as co-chairman of Walt Disney Studios, but will remain on as the company’s chief creative officer. His partner, Alan Bergman, will run Disney’s studio content as the sole chariman, effective Jan. 1. These executive shifts come less than two Read More…
Amazon said it is closing a warehouse in New Jersey until Dec. 26 after an increase of asymptomatic coronavirus cases was detected through the company’s in-house testing program. An Amazon spokesperson said workers will be paid for all shifts they miss and the company is not expecting any delivery delays as a result of the temporary Read More…
Around 2013, U.S. intelligence began noticing an alarming pattern: Undercover CIA personnel, flying into countries in Africa and Europe for sensitive work, were being rapidly and successfully identified by Chinese intelligence, according to three former U.S. officials. The surveillance by Chinese operatives began in some cases as soon as the CIA officers had cleared passport Read More…
A Virginia man who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2018 and admitted to being a pedophile and white supremacist was arrested for kidnapping a 12-year-old girl, according to local authorities. Nathan Daniel Larson, 40, was arrested last week in Denver during a flight layover from Fresno, California, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department. Larson was on Read More…
IDAHO FALLS — The city of Idaho Falls and others sued by Christopher Tapp are asking for a lawsuit against them to be thrown out. In a motion to dismiss or strike filed last week in federal court, the city and other defendants claim Tapp’s allegations of “coerced” confessions can’t be litigated because of previous Read More…
South Dakota FFA’s annual state leadership development events continued this year in a new format, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. South Dakota FFA members from across the state traded an in-person state leadership development event, in Pierre, for virtual events throughout December and January. Members qualified through district competitions, advancing the top two teams and top Read More…
BILLINGS- Billings Police said that violence has gone up “substantially” in 2020. Lt. Brandon Wooley of the Billings Police Department shared the following numbers for this year: Assault against police officers- up 50% Partner family member assault- up 21% Partner family member strangulation- up 24% Assaults with a weapon- up 50% Lt. Wooley also said there have been 16 Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, a writer and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has announced that three Montana tribal colleges and the YWCA Billings will be among more than 384 organizations receiving a total of $4.2 billion. Salish Kootenai College, Blackfeet Community College and Chief Dull Knife College will receive donations. Chief Dull Knife Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Incoming Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signaled he won’t continue a statewide mask mandate in place since July, though he said he plans to wear a mask himself and get vaccinated against COVID-19. If Gianforte, a Republican, reverses outgoing Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock’s mask order, Montana will be just the second state after Mississippi to Read More…
Major Steve Lavin, of Kalispell, will lead the Montana Highway Patrol under the next Department of Justice administration, Attorney General-elect Austin Knudsen said Wednesday. “Steve has the vision, experience and leadership ability we need to tackle the difficult challenges we face,” Knudsen, a Republican, said in a statement. “His integrity and steadfast devotion to duty Read More…
BILLINGS – It’s been said that age is just a number—but when that number reaches 100, it’s still a pretty big deal. You would never guess that George Wallis is that old when you first meet him. “That pile is from the 446th Bomb Crew and that pile is from family,” he says pointing to stacks Read More…
Gov. Steve Bullock was at St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings Tuesday afternoon as health-care workers received the first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. “This really is a historic moment for our state and our country…no place I’d rather be as we start to see some light in what’s been a long, dark tunnel- really Read More…
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – The North Dakota Medical Expense Assistance Program (MEAP) is now closed. The application window was supposed to end on Sunday, but it closed on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. because of the overwhelming response. This program provides assistance with medical expenses to support first responders and healthcare workers during the Read More…
The $37.5 million Pierre drinking water treatment plant — the biggest project in the city’s modern history — is $100,000 closer to reality, thanks to the Central Plains Water Development District. “To the best of my knowledge, the drinking water treatment project is the biggest local public investment in Pierre’s history,” Pierre Mayor Steve Read More…
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyoming — Wyoming state troopers found a child at the center of an Idaho Falls Amber alert in a broken down car in rural Wyoming. On Friday, the Idaho Falls Police Department said that 10-yer-old Derek Jesus Abitia Rodriguez was missing and possibly abducted. Later that night, an Amber alert was issued and Read More…
Public health departments in Casper and Cheyenne each received shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Monday. Three additional shipments of the same number of doses are expected to arrive Tuesday at hospitals in Cody, Jackson and Gillette. Spokesperson for the Wyoming Department of Health Kim Deti said initial vaccine doses could soon be Read More…
GREAT FALLS — Many Montanans take pride in living in the “406” – and soon Treasure State residents will be using that 406 more often. On Friday, the Montana Public Service Commission announced that beginning next year, whenever you call to a Montana phone number from a Montana phone number, you will have to include Read More…
High rates of chronic wasting disease in and around the Ruby Valley have prompted officials to ramp up the killing of white-tailed deer in nine hunting districts across southwest Montana. Brian Wakeling, game management bureau chief for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said at a virtual Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting Thursday that Read More…
HELENA — A multi-day hearing is scheduled next week on a human-rights complaint from former Corrections Department employee Adrianne Cotton, who said her job was eliminated in 2018 in retaliation for her sexual-harassment claim against the agency director. The hearing, at which state Corrections Director Reg Michael and other state officials and former state employees Read More…
BILLINGS — Few have felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic more than small businesses. In Montana, those account for over 99% of all businesses and 65% of all employees. So the Montana district of the U.S. Small Business Administration is hitting the road to highlight success stories across the state. District director Brent Donnelly Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Sen. Jon Tester is one of several Democratic senators who isn’t an automatic yes on giving President-elect Joe Biden’s defense secretary nominee a congressional waiver. Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin is up for the position, but the National Security Act requires civilian control at the Pentagon, meaning someone has to have been retired from Read More…
Missoula County will distribute up to $625,000 in grant funding to help local businesses impacted by the pandemic retain jobs for low- and moderate-income employees through the COVID-19 Small Business Job Retention Fund. Qualifying businesses will be able to submit applications this week, and grant funding will be awarded and distributed in January. The application Read More…
The South Dakota Board of Regents approved the naming of a new program unit at Dakota State University’s campus on Thursday. The Paulson Cyber Incubator and Entrepreneurial Center is named after Matt Paulson, a former DSU alumnus, entrepreneur, private equity, investor and author. READ FULL STORY
During a Friday press conference, his first since being elected, Gov.-elect Greg Gianforte offered few hints about what policies he may pursue or support once he’s sworn in on Jan. 4. While he largely avoided answering direct questions about specific policy proposals and ideas, he did say that responding to the coronavirus pandemic, which has Read More…
PORTLAND, Ore. — With a Democratic supermajority in the Oregon legislature and increasingly left-leaning urban areas, conservative rural Oregonians have long felt left out of state politics. Some of these conservative Oregonians are trying to leave the state all together to preserve their values. But they don’t plan to physically move anywhere — it’s Read More…
MEDICINE BOW — Only one multi-story building exists in this tiny town of under 300. The Virginian Hotel rises up 3 1/2 stories and sits in the heart of the town. On a late October day, an American flag in front of the hotel fought the ferocious northeast winds, as they cut through a Read More…
President-elect Joe Biden has named several key appointments to his health team, including the nomination of Xavier Becerra to the role of Secretary of Health and Human Services. If confirmed, Becerra will be the first Latino to hold the position. Becerra comes to the Department of Health and Human Services as the 33rd attorney general of California and the Read More…
Recently, there has been much debate about whether billionaires should exist, an idea popularized by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But to former Alphabet executive chairman and investor Eric Schmidt, who is worth more than $17 billion, the idea that extreme wealth is a moral failure is reductive. “We would probably all be better off spending more time understanding Read More…
The Honorable Ted O. Lympus, a former Flathead County Attorney and Flathead District Court judge for decades, died peacefully Thursday morning, surrounded by family members at home in Missoula. He was 77. Lympus served as a judge for the 11th District Court in Montana for 23 years, retiring in 2015. Prior to that he spent Read More…
BILLINGS — As the cold weather starts to settle in Montana, snow and ice can make getting from point A to point B difficult on the roads and rails. Luckily, BNSF Railway, which moves everything from groceries to medicine to automobiles, has some interesting methods to keep its trains running during the winter. READ FULL Read More…
MISSOULA — The Montana Food Back Network reports that approximately 10% of Montanans struggle with hunger — a problem only made worse by COVID-19. Once again KPAX and First Security Bank have teamed up for our annual holiday food drive to help keep our community fed. We spoke with First Security Bank president and CEO Read More…
Casper, Wyo. • The owner of a Montana coal mine filed for bankruptcy and laid off nearly half of its workforce at the facility near the Wyoming border. Lighthouse Resources Inc. filed a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, The Casper Star-Tribune reports. The company based in South Read More…
WARSAW — The $156.6 million Wyoming County budget was approved Tuesday in a special meeting. The county’s Board of Supervisors approved the budget nearly unanimously after a public hearing. Supervisor Daniel Leuer of Middlebury abstained from the budget vote, along with a separate vote to breach the state’s tax levy. No members of Read More…
Gov. Steve Bullock on Wednesday announced that Montana could receive the first shipment of vaccinations for COVID-19 as soon as Dec. 15. The state is expected to receive an initial shipment of around 9,750 doses of the vaccination developed by the drug company Pfizer, with several thousand more doses in subsequent weeks. If approved, another Read More…
A man shot at Belgrade police officers Monday night when they responded to a disturbance on NorthHoffman Street in Belgrade. The incident occurred at approximately 10:30 p.m. According to a press release, shortly after officers arrived on the scene, a man opened fire on officers from a second-story apartment window. A Belgrade police car that Read More…