Featured Articles in News

Montana State awarded $1.1 million to expand facility for photonics research and development

The Montana Microfabrication Facility at Montana State University recently received a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration through its Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program. The funding will support current and new Montana Microfabrication Facility customers to rapidly develop, assemble and test photonic integrated circuits, or PICs. In this 2023 file photo, Read More…

Original Governor’s Mansion to Close for Major Restoration Work

The Original Governor’s Mansion will temporarily close to public tours beginning November 1, 2025, as contractors begin a series of critical exterior repairs aimed at preserving one of Montana’s most cherished historic landmarks. The restoration effort, funded through the Governor’s Long-Range Building Program, will address both the mansion and its adjacent historic carriage house. Planned Read More…

Retailers Scramble as U.S. Penny Phase-Out Forces Price Rounding

Now that the United States has officially stopped making pennies, a nationwide scramble is underway among gas stations, fast-food chains, and major retailers to adjust prices and handle cash transactions — a shift that could quietly erode profits for many high-volume businesses. The transition follows President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this year to halt production Read More…

Death threats against ICE officers up by 8,000%, DHS says

(The Center Square) – Death threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are up by 8,000% compared to the same timeframe last year, the Department of Homeland Security said on Friday. Assaults against ICE officers remain at a 1,000% increase, The Center Square first reported. Targeted removal efforts prioritizing arresting violent offenders are ongoing as Read More…

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Walmart to launch its own low-price brand of insulin

Walmart announced Tuesday it will start selling private-label insulin this summer at a much lower price for the lifesaving diabetes drug than branded varieties in vials and pens. The new brand, called ReliOn NovoLog, includes analog insulin vials for $72.88 and $85.88 for a package of prefilled insulin pens. READ FULL STORY

Fentanyl-related deaths up in Montana

Fentanyl-related deaths in Montana doubled from 2019 to 2020 and this year’s deaths have already outpaced the tally from two years ago. There were 41 fentanyl-related deaths last year, a dramatic jump from 19 in 2019. This year there have been 22 fentanyl-related fatalities confirmed by the state crime lab, according to a press release Read More…

MS-13 Member Pleads Guilty To Brutal Murder in Maryland

A drug dealer and MS-13 member pleaded guilty in a Maryland federal court on Thursday to charges stemming from the brutal murder of a rival gangster just outside Washington, D.C. Moises Alexis Reyes-Canales, known to fellow gang members as “Sicopita,” admitted to his involvement with the 2016 stabbing death of Jose Hernandez-Portillo in a Maryland Read More…

Consortium, loan announced for Fargo flood project

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A $2.75 billion project aimed at protecting Fargo and Moorhead, Minnesota, from chronic flooding is gaining ground. It’s getting a $569 million loan from the Environmental Protection Agency. Also, local officials have picked an international consortium to build and provide some up-front capital for a key piece that involves diverting Red Read More…

Wyoming ranked 7th most patriotic state in the U.S.

JACKSON, Wyo, — With Fourth of July on the horizon, a report produced by WalletHub  shows that Wyoming is ready to celebrate American independence. Ranked the 7th most patriotic state in the U.S., statistics indicate that Wyomingites demonstrate a distinct love for one’s country. To determine where citizens have the most American pride, WalletHub compared the Read More…

Tokyo Olympics: Kiwi weightlifter Laurel Hubbard to become first transgender athlete to compete at the Games

Kiwi weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will make history at the Tokyo Olympics by becoming the first transgender athlete to compete at the Games. Hubbard has been named among five weightlifting athletes selected to the New Zealand Team. Hubbard, who won silver at the 2017 world championships and represented New Zealand at the 2018 Commonwealth Games before Read More…

Saudi talks up strength after US cuts military assets

Washington on Friday said it was cutting the number of troops and air defence units deployed to the Middle East, including Patriot batteries and an anti-missile system, called THAAD, from Saudi Arabia. “This will not affect the Saudi air defences,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki told reporters. “We have a strong understanding with… our allies about Read More…

Worden Ballantine Water District asks Yellowstone County to share federal COVID relief funds for permanent water fix

Worden- The Worden Ballantine Yellowstone County Water District has asked Yellowstone County commissioners for federal dollars coming from the American Recovery Plan Act to help resolve continued water issues. District chair Dan Ewen and Board member Gary Fredericks passed along the request Wednesday morning and gave an update on what the water district has done Read More…

NATRIUM NUCLEAR PLANT COMING TO WYOMING MAY NOT IMPROVE ON EXISTING WATER-COOLED REACTORS

CASPER, Wyo. — When Governor Mark Gordon announced this June that Wyoming has been selected for the construction of a new “advanced” nuclear reactor, he said it would be “game-changing and monumental” for Wyoming. The system that would be built at one of four sites in Wyoming is called the “Natrium” reactor. It was co-developed by TerraPower, founded Read More…

Police arrest 91 people in joint operation, including members of an Idaho white supremacist prison gang

BOISE, Idaho — The U.S. Marshals Service and numerous Treasure Valley law enforcement agencies conducted a joint operation for less than two weeks that resulted in 91 arrests.   According to a statement released by the U.S. Marshals Service, police arrested 43 gang members of the Aryan Knights, a white supremacist prison gang founded in Read More…

BBQ cooks compete in Absarokee

An Absarokee tradition returned with the 19th Montana BBQ cook-off on Saturday. The event was canceled in 2020 because of COVID and came back this year on the downtown street. Texas Smoke Whisperer beat 27 teams for the Grand Champion title and gets a chance to compete nationally with the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS). Read More…

Judge Upholds Dismissal of Case Against Resort Developer

HELENA — A U.S. bankruptcy judge has upheld court decisions that the state of Montana lacked legal standing to file an involuntary bankruptcy petition nearly a decade ago against Yellowstone Club co-founder Tim Blixseth. Judge Mike N. Nakagawa of Nevada on June 3 confirmed the ruling by previous judges to dismiss the involuntary petition, noting Read More…

Gov. Gianforte Launches Come Home Montana Campaign

Governor Greg Gianforte launched a website as part of the administration’s new campaign to encourage Montanans, who have moved to other states, to come back home to Montana. “For too long, Montana’s most valuable export has been our kids and grandkids,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Our quality of life is second to none, and we’re reminding Read More…

Board mulls whether Whitefish Lake is an airport

Is Whitefish Lake an airport? Can it be considered a “landing field”? What’s the difference between an aircraft hangar and a big garage that just happens to store a floatplane? The Flathead County Board of Adjustment wrestled with those questions last week as a couple sought permission to build a hangar on their property near Read More…

Federal prisoners hold $100 million in government-run accounts, shielded from some criminal scrutiny and debt collection

Federal prison inmates are keeping large sums of money — in some cases more than $100,000 each — in government-run deposit accounts effectively shielded from court orders for things like child support, alimony or other debts, and not subject to the same scrutiny as accounts owned by non-incarcerated citizens, according to court documents and interviews. Read More…

Despite her vow of poverty, nun stole more than $835,000 from a Catholic school, prosecutors said

With each new school year, fresh checks for tuition and fees streamed into the principal’s office at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, Calif. But for 10 years, those checks, along with donations, scarcely made it to the school’s bank account. Instead, the school’s principal, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was stealing the money and Read More…

Seeking ‘rent we can afford,’ California BBQ chef moves here to open Boise restaurant

A freshly transplanted barbecue pitmaster is on the verge of opening a new Boise restaurant. Neighbor Tim’s BBQ is preparing to launch in a small space at 7802 W. Goddard Road, across from Capital High School. Hungry Idahoans can watch the business’ Facebook page for updates on the opening date: “Very, very soon,” Neighbor Tim’s proclaimed in Read More…

Bozeman native uses Nashville success as platform to benefit human trafficking survivors

MISSOULA, Mont. — Country Billboard-charting artist Stephanie Quayle is returning to her home state of Montana and raising funds for a new safe house for human trafficking victims. Quayle is releasing new music this year and about to start touring again. The Bozeman native has been recording in Nashville for 10 years and has performed at Read More…