The total cost of employer-sponsored family health insurance now exceeds the median monthly mortgage payment for recent homebuyers, but employers cover most of that insurance bill. The average employer-sponsored family plan cost $26,993 in 2025, according to KFF’s latest annual survey. That works out to $2,249 per month. The Mortgage Bankers Association reported a national median mortgage payment Read More…
Four Twin Cities men pleaded guilty to defrauding Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services program out of approximately $2.2 million and using artificial intelligence to fabricate records when auditors came calling — a case federal prosecutors say highlights a growing trend of fraudsters deploying AI tools to conceal healthcare fraud. Moktar Hassan Aden, 31, Mustafa Dayib Ali, Read More…
The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions Friday on four individuals and nine entities tied to Iranian financier Babak Zanjani’s sprawling sanctions evasion network, targeting his domestic conglomerate and a web of foreign firms that supported his cryptocurrency exchanges. “The Iranian regime continues to pay a steep economic price for its reckless behavior, with Read More…
Hundreds of people, including Montana State University faculty, staff, students and alumni, along with community members, legislators and industry professionals, gathered Friday to celebrate the completion of the Combined State Labs building. The tri-lab agricultural facility, located on the west side of South 19th Avenue, brings together MSU’s Montana Agricultural Experiment Station Wool Lab, the Montana Department of Livestock’s Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, the Montana Department of Agriculture’s Analytical Lab. Established at Read More…
The North Dakota Department of Commerce has awarded $600,000 through the Native American Small Business Support Program to help Native American-owned small businesses expand operations, strengthen competitiveness and create lasting economic impact across the state. The program was established through funding appropriated by the 69th Legislative Assembly and provides flexible financial assistance to Native American Read More…
The Department of War’s Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy announced the launch of an interactive public website tracking the department’s investments in domestic and allied supply chains, mapping more than $6.7 billion in Defense Production Act and Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment funding made since 2015. The Investment Intelligence Read More…
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on eight individuals and entities linked to procurement and recruitment networks that the agency said continue to fuel Sudan’s civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Treasury said the networks have enabled both sides to expand Read More…
Appointees offer insight on community banking, regional economy, including one from Montana Three community bank executives were appointed this spring to an advisory council by Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President and CEO Neel Kashkari. The Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council provides information, advice and recommendations to the Minneapolis Fed president from the perspective of Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led a coalition of 23 state attorneys general in urging the U.S. Senate to confirm Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as the next attorney general of the United States. In a letter sent to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, Ranking Member Richard Durbin and other committee members, Knudsen urged Read More…
The Justice Department said fifteen individuals — eleven described as illegal aliens and four U.S. citizens — have been charged in Massachusetts in connection with more than $1.4 million in alleged fraud involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, MassHealth, and disability and unemployment benefits. The charges, announced this week, are the latest from a Benefit Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte last week continued his 56 County Tour, spotlighting innovations and investments in Montana’s rural communities in Big Horn, Rosebud, Treasure and Prairie counties. “Across Montana, rural communities are welcoming innovation and new investments to preserve the culture and history of our past while growing our economy,” Gianforte said. “Thanks to the efforts Read More…
Taxpayers help subsidize illegal immigrants in 21 states, including California, Texas, Illinois, New York State financial aid continues to expand within higher education, allowing money to go to eligible illegal immigrant students. The increased spending is heating up debate over who should receive state taxpayers-funded higher education benefits. Currently, around 21 states and the District Read More…
The U.S. Supreme Court threw out a federal appeals court ruling in an immigration case Tuesday and returned the case to the court for an alternative ruling. In a 6-3 decision along partisan lines, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that immigration officers have broad authority to decide if restrictions should be placed on a returning Read More…
(The Center Square) — A majority of American voters say the U.S. should remain in NATO, according to The Center Square Voters’ Voice poll. President Donald Trump has toyed with the notion of pulling out of the treaty, ramping up talks in recent months following a reluctance of several NATO nations to assist the U.S. Read More…
The Center Square) – Minnesota’s special districts reported $5.4 billion in outstanding long-term debt in 2023, while increasingly relying on state funding as pandemic-era federal aid declined. This is according to a new report from the Minnesota Office of the State Auditor. The 91-page report examined 572 special districts that submitted financial data to the auditor’s Read More…
Montana Attorney General’s Office files 25 felony counts; suspect already held in North Dakota on similar charges Prosecutors in the Montana Attorney General’s Office have charged a Sheridan County man with 25 felony counts of sexual assault and drug-related crimes, Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced. The charges stem from allegations that the man abused five Read More…
This coverage is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Sign up for Votebeat Texas’ free newsletters here. A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration’s overhaul of an immigration verification system to check voter eligibility across the nation, striking down a central pillar of the Read More…
Former Montana utility regulator will lead the $4 billion federal power-marketing agency serving the Pacific Northwest U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced Travis Kavulla as administrator and CEO of the Bonneville Power Administration, putting the former Montana utility regulator in charge of the agency that markets wholesale power across the Pacific Northwest. “Travis Kavulla’s Read More…
Financing aims to scale domestic rare-earth processing as Washington pushes to secure a mine-to-magnet supply chain The U.S. Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital said Thursday it has signed a $725 million conditional loan commitment with Energy Fuels Inc. to expand the company’s domestic processing of rare-earth elements, the latest move in Washington’s push Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen asked the Montana Supreme Court to dismiss a petition from Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell seeking to end Knudsen’s supervisory control over her office, according to a reply filed this week. Knudsen invoked supervisory control over the Gallatin County Attorney’s Office on April 30, after Cromwell declined to rescind a policy Read More…
Army Pvt. Joe Gandara was a paratrooper who fought in France during World War II. Little is known about him other than that he was the son of Mexican immigrants. However, his bravery and selflessness earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor — nearly 70 years after he sacrificed himself to save his battle buddies. Read More…
Five-day celebration in Helena will run June 24-28 with free tours, workshops and a Capitol Lawn finale The Montana Historical Society will host the Montana History Festival from Wednesday, June 24, through Sunday, June 28, a five-day community celebration marking the grand opening of the fully completed Montana Heritage Center. The festival will feature free Read More…
(The Center Square) – American voters believe building more data centers in the United States are not worth the potential strain on local electricity, water and infrastructure and that the negatives outweigh the importance for national security and competing with China, according to a new poll. The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll found that 54% Read More…
Governor recognized two veterans with Montana’s top commendation and addressed the state VFW’s annual convention Gov. Greg Gianforte recently continued his 56 County Tour and honored veterans in Yellowstone and Custer counties as part of his annual effort to visit every county in Montana. “As I travel the state for my 56 County Tour, I Read More…
The Marine Corps is taking a leap forward in tactical vehicle training, trading unnecessary wear and tear for high-tech, immersive realism at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. With the introduction of the multiplatform driver simulator, Marines are now able to push the limits of the joint light tactical vehicle without assuming any physical Read More…
Attorney general says MVD will waive renewal and replacement fees in July for Montanans adding the state’s new eagle-in-flight citizenship marker Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced that the state’s Motor Vehicle Division will waive certain driver license and identification card fees throughout July for residents who add the state’s new citizenship marker to their Read More…
Siding with SpaceX and the attorney general’s office, the Texas Supreme Court on Friday ruled that environmental groups did not have a right to sue to preserve public access to a beach that has been closed during rocket launches. The unanimous ruling said a trial judge properly dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning the groups Read More…
Abutting the first-floor hallway of Montana State University’s Romney Hall, the Travis W. Atkins Veteran Support Center resembles a typical campus study space. But through the center doors is much more. Equipped with rows of tables, printers and grab-and-go snacks, the center dedicated to supporting MSU’s military population provides a comfortable place for veterans and their family members to study, relax and find community. Started in 2011, the Veteran Support Center has consistently invested in the Read More…
A former U.S. Intelligence Community contractor pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit offenses against the United States after soliciting and accepting more than half a million dollars in illegal kickbacks in exchange for steering government contracts to his co-conspirators. David Duggin, 55, of Orrtanna, Pennsylvania, worked as a Senior Systems Engineer and on-site contractor at Read More…
The Department of War announced the creation of the Cyber Mastery Incentive Pay program, a sweeping overhaul of how the military compensates its elite cyber warfighters, aimed at attracting, developing and retaining the specialized talent needed to dominate an increasingly contested digital battlespace. The C-MIP program, part of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s broader Project Read More…
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has released its first round of funding opportunity overviews under the Rural Health Transformation Program, marking a significant step forward in the state’s effort to reshape healthcare delivery in underserved communities across Idaho. The funding opportunity overviews are designed to give stakeholders an early look at the expected Read More…
Montana earned recognition as one of the nation’s premier destinations for entrepreneurs, landing in the top 15 states in a WalletHub study ranking all 50 states on their business startup environments. The report evaluated states across 25 measures grouped into three dimensions: business environment, access to resources and business costs. Metrics included number of startups Read More…
(The Center Square) – California is suing U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies to stop construction of what plaintiffs say is an ICE holding facility near an agricultural city. Blueprints show plans for some kind of federal facility, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it isn’t building a new detention center. Read More…
After nearly half a century on Texas death row, Clarence Curtis Jordan was resentenced this week to life in prison by a Harris County judge who also recommended that the 70-year-old be granted parole based on medical conditions. The intellectually disabled man spent more than 47 years awaiting execution before Texas’ highest criminal court vacated Read More…
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation restoring commercial fishing access to nearly half a million square miles of Pacific Ocean waters, the latest in a series of actions the administration has taken to expand domestic seafood production and reduce reliance on foreign fish imports. The proclamation reopens commercial fishing in the Mau and Ho’omalu Zones Read More…
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has approved an Exploration License Amendment for Sentinel Metals and issued a final Environmental Assessment for the Columbia Gold Project, located near Lincoln in Lewis and Clark County. DEQ accepted public comment on the draft EA from March 20 through April 13, 2026, drawing significant public interest. The agency Read More…
The Justice Department announced a final settlement with the state of North Dakota in the case of North Dakota v. United States, resolving litigation stemming from the violent and disruptive protests surrounding the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016. While the federal government disputed the district court’s legal analysis of North Dakota’s claims and its own Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte announced Montana joined First Lady Melania Trump’s initiative to expand access to Trump Accounts for children in the foster care system, providing a financial foundation for young people aging out of care as they transition into adulthood. Trump Accounts are tax-advantaged investment accounts available to every American child born between January 1, Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Education confirmed a whistleblower’s allegations that the agency violated a federal court order while handling Title IX cases tied to gender identity and sexual orientation, according to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. OSC told President Donald Trump and Congress this week that the department’s supplemental investigation backed Read More…
The University of Montana will launch the first public physician associate program in the state this fall, addressing a major shortage of healthcare workers. The new program recently received accreditation-provisional status from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, an organization that establishes the national standard for PA programs. The accreditation marks Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has signed onto a bipartisan coalition of 40 state attorneys general urging Congress to maintain federal funding for the Legal Services Corporation, the nation’s largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans. The coalition sent a letter to Congressional appropriations leaders asking that LSC funding be included in Read More…
(The Center Square) – A federal agency suspended taxpayer funding to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority on Thursday, effective immediately. A letter was sent to the city of Los Angeles on Thursday by Andrew D. Hughes, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Hughes accused the city of abusing hundreds of Read More…
Sixteen Montana State University student-athletes will travel to Casper, Wyoming, next week to compete in the College National Finals Rodeo, representing the Bobcats as Big Sky Region champions for the third consecutive year in both the men’s and women’s divisions. Competition runs June 14-20 at the Ford Wyoming Center, where MSU will send nine men Read More…
Montana State University student Peyton Summerhill has wanted to be a scientist for as long as she can remember. “For so many years as a kid, I was looking around trying to figure out where the scientists were, and they were here the whole time,” said Summerhill, who grew up in Bozeman and is majoring Read More…