HELENA—More than 14,000 Montanans are set to receive a combined $7 million in refunds tied to overcharges on Obamacare health plans, according to Montana State Auditor James Brown. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services identified 14,093 Montana residents who are eligible for $500 refund checks, representing a total of $7,046,500. The refunds stem from Read More…
BOISE, Idaho—Idaho General Fund revenue exceeded the state’s forecast by $90.3 million during the first quarter of fiscal year 2027, finishing 6.8% above projections. September revenue alone came in $39 million above forecast, with individual income tax collections accounting for much of the strength. Individual income tax revenue is running 18.3% above forecast year to Read More…
WASHINGTON—The Defense Department is expanding its investment in quantum computing with roughly $350 million in new initiatives, including a conditional $150 million loan commitment to PsiQuantum aimed at strengthening advanced manufacturing and prototyping in the United States. The effort is designed to accelerate development of quantum systems that could eventually support national-security missions in areas Read More…
HELENA—Montana Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Sarah Swanson has been elected chair-elect of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, giving Montana a leadership role in a national organization representing workforce agencies across the country. Swanson assumed the position Sept. 17 during NASWA’s annual membership meeting at the 2026 NASWA Summit. The chair-elect serves Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has joined Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stop a multistate antitrust lawsuit seeking to block Paramount Skydance’s proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The filing puts Knudsen at the center of another major national antitrust fight, this time on the opposite Read More…
(The Center Square) – Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle acknowledged receiving a long-awaited formal explanation from Mayor Katie Wilson’s administration regarding the forced resignation of former Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes on Friday. He maintains he still disagrees with how the executive branch handled Barnes’ ousting. In a letter sent on behalf of the mayor, Read More…
The North Dakota Department of Commerce announced that registration is open and the agenda has been released for the 2026 Governor’s Workforce Summit, set for Sept. 23 at the Bismarck State College National Energy Center of Excellence. The summit will bring together policymakers, employers, educators, workforce professionals and community leaders to explore solutions for strengthening Read More…
A University of Montana political science professor will spend the academic year sharing his expertise and research at one of the world’s most prestigious institutions. Dr. Robert Saldin, a political scientist and co-director of UM’s Democracy Studies Program, has been awarded the Leverhulme Visiting Professorship at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The Read More…
Nine new South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers graduated Thursday during a ceremony at the Larkspur Landing Event Center, joining the agency’s 73rd recruit academy class. Gov. Larry Rhoden congratulated the graduates and thanked them for their commitment to public service, saying law enforcement officers play an important role in keeping South Dakota communities safe. Highway Read More…
Gov. Mark Gordon will deliver opening remarks and take part in a morning fireside discussion during the opening of the Wyoming Suicide Prevention Symposium, set for Sept. 15-16 at the Wyoming State Capitol Extension in Cheyenne. Gordon will be joined for the fireside discussion by Wyoming Department of Health Director Stefan Johansson, Wyoming mental health Read More…
Montana running back Eli Gillman added another chapter to his record-setting career Saturday, rushing for 147 yards and three touchdowns as the Grizzlies beat Utah Tech 35-14 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The fifth-year senior continued his climb through both the Montana and Big Sky Conference record books. After breaking Chase Reynolds’ Montana career rushing-touchdown record a Read More…
President Trump announced that the federal government will return hundreds of millions of dollars in Obamacare overcharges collected under the Biden administration, issuing refunds of $500 per person to nearly 1 million Americans across 30 states. According to the White House, the Biden administration overcharged Americans through Obamacare exchange “user fees” that were passed on Read More…
The United States Mint announced a special-issue 2026 Semiquincentennial Enduring Liberty Half Dollar to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The coin features a unique privy mark: the date of the attack encircled by the phrase “NEVER FORGET.” “As we approach the 25th anniversary of September 11, we honor the memory of Read More…
Retired Air Force Col. Rolando Aguilar, a former Texas Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot, remembers the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, a day off that turned into a scramble to intercept an inbound aircraft he didn’t yet know was Air Force One. Woken by his unit’s crew chiefs with news that a plane Read More…
President Donald J. Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and other distinguished attendees commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on U.S. soil during a formal ceremony today in the Pentagon’s courtyard. The two leaders were joined by First Lady Melania Trump; Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Read More…
MISSOULA – Thousands of feet above Salt Lake City, chemistry students from the University of Montana spent this summer tracking air pollution. They collected airborne data over seven weeks as part of a major research campaign to understand factors driving poor air quality in Western cities. They are working to support efforts to make Read More…
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is requesting public feedback on a draft programmatic environmental assessment for its Oil and Gas Registration Program, with comments due by Oct. 1, 2026. The Montana Environmental Policy Act requires DEQ to analyze impacts from all agency actions that may affect the state’s environment. As allowed under MEPA, and Read More…
Americans on Friday marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, with ceremonies at the World Trade Center site in New York, the Pentagon in Virginia, and a field near Shanksville, Pa., honoring the nearly 3,000 people killed in the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil. At the National September 11 Memorial Read More…
Federal prosecutors have charged Erekle Gugava, a 33-year-old Georgian national who authorities say is in the U.S. illegally, with conspiracy to launder money in connection with what the Justice Department describes as the largest health care fraud case it has ever prosecuted. Gugava allegedly served as a money launderer for a transnational criminal organization operating Read More…
Montana State was picked to finish second in the Big Sky Conference women’s golf preseason coaches’ poll, giving the Bobcats one of the league’s highest expectations heading into the 2026-27 season. The Bobcats received 88 points and two first-place votes from the conference’s 11 head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own Read More…
The Department of War announced an investment of $11.4 million in Defense Production Act Title III funds to Stellant Systems, aimed at increasing the manufacturability and capability of space-based Traveling-Wave Tube Amplifier production at the company’s facility in Torrance, Calif. The funding also supports the administration’s goal of strengthening key space industrial base capabilities, as Read More…
The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service have issued proposed regulations that would end federal tax-exempt status for private schools that engage in racial discrimination, an action officials said delivers on President Trump’s executive orders aimed at ending discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity. “Under President Trump, this Administration is standing up for Read More…
Kris Nord spent 42 years as a Grizzly coach. 42 years of service to one team would be a hall of fame worthy career in itself. But when you learn he spent decades coaching two and often three different programs all at once, you realize that level of dedication makes a hall of fame induction Read More…
Last week, UND welcomed its latest cohort of new faculty members to campus for an event designed to familiarize them with the University and the wider Grand Forks community. On August 21, 42 scholars gathered at the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration for the University’ annual new faculty orientation. Vice Provost for Faculty Read More…
Gen. Douglas A. Schiess was formally installed Sept. 3 as chief of space operations, becoming the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the U.S. Space Force and the third person to hold the post since the service was created. Schiess succeeded Gen. Chance Saltzman during a change-of-responsibility ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Md., following his Senate confirmation Read More…
The Justice Department announced an agreement with Mount Sinai Health System that resolves an investigation into potential violations of federal law arising from the provider’s administration of gender-affirming care to minors. Under the agreement, Mount Sinai, one of the largest health care providers in New York state, will cease providing such interventions to minors, including Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte is calling for new protections for children and teenagers on social media, saying parents need more support as concerns grow over screen time, addictive design and the effects of online platforms on young people. Gianforte visited Skyview High School in Billings, where he met with students, parents, educators and lawmakers to discuss Read More…
The University of Montana and its partners have received nearly $5 million from the National Science Foundation to expand scholarship and mentoring support for low-income students pursuing graduate degrees in engineering and natural-resource fields. The award comes as Montana employers face growing demand for workers with science, technology, engineering and mathematics backgrounds. University officials say Read More…
The Billings Gazette is preparing to leave its longtime downtown headquarters and move several blocks away to Granite Tower, the latest real-estate move by parent company Lee Enterprises as the newspaper chain continues to reshape its business amid years of financial pressure. The Gazette said its staff will work remotely before moving into the new Read More…
The U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs in August, a stronger-than-expected showing that offered fresh evidence of resilience in the labor market as manufacturing and construction hiring picked up. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%. August payroll growth was well above the average monthly gain over the previous year. The White House pointed to the Read More…
Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Attorney General Raúl Labrador have awarded the Idaho Medal of Honor to nine first responders for acts of courage that went beyond the ordinary demands of their jobs. The recipients include five law-enforcement officers and four firefighters whose actions ranged from entering burning buildings and fast-moving water to confronting an Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and 15 other state attorneys general have opened an investigation into OpenAI over potential violations of consumer-protection and data-privacy laws following a security incident involving one of the company’s experimental artificial-intelligence models. The investigation centers on an incident this summer in which an OpenAI model allegedly accessed outside computer networks Read More…
The day before fall semester classes began, a group of incoming Montana State University business students hiked the iconic “M” trail and continued forming connections with their peers. The college “M” on the Bridger Mountains pictured from Bozeman. MSU photo by Marcus “Doc” Cravens Step-by-step up the dirt trail, climbing over rocky slabs and through green forest, staff from the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship watched the new students get to know each other. Read More…
Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Robert Edward Galer was a fighter pilot during World War II and went on to serve more than 20 years on active duty. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the skies over Guadalcanal in 1942. Galer was born Oct. 23, 1913, in Seattle. He was Read More…
The South Dakota State Fair Foundation has launched the “Every Stall Counts” fundraising campaign to purchase 350 new portable horse stalls for the state fairgrounds, with a fundraising goal of $500,000. The project builds on the success of the DEX by improving the aging Hippodrome stalls and increasing portable stall capacity for larger national events. Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte is accepting applications and nominations for an upcoming district court vacancy in Montana’s Eleventh Judicial District in Flathead County. The vacancy is expected to arise because District Court Judges Amy Eddy and Dan Wilson are running against each other for one seat on the Montana Supreme Court. The chief justice of the Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and life sentence of Jason Allen Miller for the attempted homicide of Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Lewis Johnson, rejecting a series of challenges to his 2025 trial. Miller was convicted in June 2025 after prosecutors said he ran over Johnson in February 2023, seriously injuring the trooper. Read More…
Montana State University will hold a grand opening ceremony for Gianforte Hall, a new building housing computing-related fields including cybersecurity, film, photography and music technologies, at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10. The outdoor event is free and open to the public. Scheduled speakers include Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, MSU President Brock Tessman, College of Arts Read More…
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte joined Montana Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Sarah Swanson and tribal leaders to launch the Workforce Warrior poster and video series, a campaign that features Native Montanans and their career journeys and community contributions in fields including skilled trades, entrepreneurship, health care, education, public service and business. “The Workforce Warrior Read More…
Final EIS moves 525-kilovolt line linking Western and Eastern power grids closer to construction approval The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the North Plains Connector Project, a major transmission line proposed to link the Western and Eastern U.S. electrical grids, clearing a key hurdle in the state’s Read More…
The U.S. Army has selected five companies to develop nuclear microreactors at military installations as part of a program aimed at providing reliable power to bases while expanding America’s nuclear-energy industry. The Army’s Janus Program will award up to $2.2 billion across fiscal years 2027 through 2031, with additional private investment expected from the companies. Read More…
The Trump administration is moving to cut a United Arab Emirates bank off from the U.S. financial system, escalating its campaign to isolate Iran by targeting foreign institutions accused of helping Tehran maintain access to dollars. The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network proposed prohibiting U.S. financial institutions from opening or maintaining correspondent accounts for Read More…
The North Dakota Department of Commerce has awarded nearly $270,000 to three regional projects aimed at addressing workforce shortages and improving employee retention in healthcare, energy and education. The funding comes through the state’s Regional Workforce Impact Program, which supports locally developed strategies designed around the workforce needs of individual communities and industries. “RWIP continues Read More…
Named after the state she always dreamed of living in, Montanna Zajac was thrilled to be admitted to the University of Montana’s new physician associate program. Zajac, from Wausau, Wisconsin, studied psychology as an undergraduate but discovered a passion for medicine while working various jobs as an EMT, firefighter and medic for an outdoor wilderness Read More…