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) – 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…
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…
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…
Dec. 24—PIERRE — Discussion about reclassification is a constant in high school football, but the South Dakota High School Activities Association introduced possible tweaks to the process during a football advisory committee meeting in late November. Though it was only discussed and not put to a vote, SDHSAA executive director Dan Swartos presented findings to Read More…
In Wyoming, folks are pretty proud of the square-shaped state they call home. So much so that, along with the boom in all things craft industry — think beer, coffee and handmade goods created by local artisans in recent years — the Wyoming lifestyle brand has taken off. “A lifestyle brand is a brand Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — After a nationwide search, the University of Montana announced they have hired Dr. Pardis Mahdavi to serve the university as the new Provost, Executive Vice President, no. 2 administrator, and academic officer. Mahdavi currently serves as Dean of Social Sciences at Arizona State University. In previous years, she has served as acting Dean Read More…
Hill County Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to dissolve the Meadowlark Estates Water and Sewer District at the request of the state after residents of the area voted 22 to 3 to do so. In October, Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson said Meadowlark Estates, many years ago, had planned to put in a water and sewer Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – The closing date for public comment on the 2022/2023 hunting regulation proposals has been extended from Jan. 14 to Jan. 21. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) says this is a second opportunity to provide input on the draft regulation proposals. Biologists with FWP offered regulations proposals based on science that combine some Read More…
NEW YORK — Under pressure to improve worker rights, Amazon has reached a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board to allow its employees to freely organize — and without retaliation. According to the settlement, the online behemoth Amazon said it would reach out to its warehouse workers — former and current — via email Read More…
KALISPELL — One Glacier High School senior is a contributing way beyond the football field. Senior Noah Jensen created the Cleats for Kids program, which donates cleats to kids all throughout the Flathead Valley. Noah has been recognized for the impact he has made on the community with The Spirit Of Montana Award from Gov. Read More…
FORSYTH, Mont. – A $500 check was delivered by Rosebud County Sheriff Fulton and Deputy Stradinger to an organization that makes blankets for nursing home residents. Crocheted With Love was surprised with the donation Saturday. “With Covid still restricting interactions, the residents just came up and picked out a blanket,” the Rosebud County Sheriff’s Office Read More…
The U.S. has had a massive surge in immigration this year, with as many as 1.5 million newcomers and a record 46.2 million foreign-born people, according to a report for the Center for Immigration Studies. After a deep trough last year, likely because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel and migration restrictions imposed to Read More…
Major hospital systems across the country are quietly scrapping their vaccine mandates amid worker shortages and growing confusion as to whether such requirements on the national level are even legal. Two separate federal courts found in late November that President Joe Biden’s attempt to impose a nationwide vaccine requirement for healthcare workers likely exceeded the authority of Read More…
BILLINGS – Senator Steve Daines honored Will James Middle School teacher Hunter Jones, for his nearly two decades of supporting Montana veterans. A release from the office of the senator says Jones also makes sure to teach his students about those who serve our country and how to honor them. In September, Jones was recognized Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. – As game day nears, Montana State University Bozeman graduate Senator Steve Daines is ramping up a new, friendly rivalry with South Dakota State University graduate Senator Mike Rounds. “I’ve never seen a bobcat run from a jackrabbit,” Daines joked. “You’ve never seen a South Dakota jackrabbit have you?” Rounds replied. Before placing Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming will soon be the home of an adored part of Nebraska cuisine and culture. Restaurant chain Runza is aiming to open its first location in the Cowboy State at an undetermined place in Cheyenne, per a release from the company. The Nebraska-headquartered franchise is known for its namesake sandwiches — at its Read More…
A Flathead Valley woman accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from donors in an alleged cancer fraud scheme has been charged in Flathead County District Court. Amy Elizabeth Glanville, 46, of Kalispell, is charged with one felony count of theft. She faces a maximum of 10 years in the Montana State Prison. A Read More…
A CNN staffer was arrested on three charges related to sexual abuse Friday after allegedly enticing women over the internet to allow him to teach their daughters sexual acts. John Griffin, a CNN producer who has since been suspended, was indicted by a grand jury in Vermont of “using a facility of interstate commerce to attempt to entice minors to engage Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. — From the moment Montana State took the field it was apparent they were ready to beat the best as they beat Sam Houston State 42-19 down in Huntsville, Texas. The Cats got things going when, Tommy Mellott, threw a deep ball to, Lance McCutcheon, early in the first getting the team across midfield. Read More…
TOWNSEND — In a press release sent Friday afternoon, Prickly Pear Land Trust (PPLT) says they acquired thousands of acres of farmland that will be added to its protected properties list. The Tri G River Ranch between Townsend and Toston is the second conservation easement in Broadwater County that PPLT has acquired. The easement will Read More…
On Monday afternoon, a Cascade County District judge sentenced a Great Falls woman for mitigated deliberate homicide for killing her mother in 2017. Pamela Jean Courtnage, 49, will spend 40 years committed to the care of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services at the Montana State Hospital (MSH) in Warm Springs. She was Read More…
Glacier National Park will require tickets to enter the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor in the 2022 summer season, park spokeswoman Gina Kerzman confirmed Friday. The park is also exploring the possibility of a ticketed entry system for the Polebridge entrance up the North Fork, she confirmed, but cautioned that has not been finalized. READ FULL STORY
The interim leader of Flathead County’s ImagineIF public library system resigned on Thursday, citing interference by a board of trustees that has devalued the institution by slashing salaries while entertaining motions to censor certain books and materials, particularly those that portray characters who are gay, queer or transgender. After serving in the director position for just four Read More…
A Norwegian Cruise Line ship docked in New Orleans over the weekend with at least 17 passengers and crew members infected with the coronavirus, according to local health officials, including one probable case of the omicron variant among the crew. The Norwegian Breakaway departed from New Orleans on Nov. 28 with more than 3,200 people Read More…
WORCESTER (CBS) – About 200 UMass Memorial Health employees are out of a job because they missed the health care system’s COVID vaccination deadline. UMass Memorial announced the mandate over the summer with a deadline to get vaccinated or receive an exemption by November 1. Employees were let go on December 1 if they did Read More…
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Mayor Bill de Blasio announced what he called a first-in-the-nation vaccine mandate for private companies Monday. He said the combination of the Omicron variant and holiday gatherings forced him to take “bold” steps. He’s giving businesses just three weeks to make sure their workers are vaccinated. “We in New York City have decided to use a preemptive strike Read More…
The Federal Reserve has an extraordinary responsibility to ensure a healthy economy and sound financial system for all Americans. Unfortunately, over the past year my faith in the Fed has been deeply shaken by its political approach to digital assets in my home state, Wyoming, greatly contributing to my concerns over President Biden’s nominees, Jay Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Thanksgiving travel hit record highs at the Missoula airport, which is forcing officials to think about the kind of rush they will receive on Christmas. “We are just ticking up our expectations now for Christmas based on what we did for Thanksgiving, so we are actually coming up with some overflow parking plan Read More…
Nearly half of American households say inflation is causing financial hardship, according to a Gallup poll. Forty-five percent of Americans say inflation is responsible for their current financial difficulties—10 percent of whom describe those difficulties as “severe.” Among those most affected are Americans in the lowest income bracket, with 71 percent of households making $40,000 or less Read More…
Jussie Smollett’s legal team will get its chance on Thursday to poke holes in the credibility of Abimbola Osundairo, one of two Nigerian brothers who claimed the Empire actor paid them to stage a phony hate crime. Osundairo testified Wednesday in a Chicago courtroom that Smollett gave him and his brother instructions and money in advance of the Jan. 29, Read More…
Scientists claim to have discovered a “potential mechanism” that triggers rare blood clots in some people who receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine. Links between the vaccine and rare, sometimes fatal, blood clots have prompted some countries to restrict its use to older adults or favor alternative shots. To be sure, medical experts have repeatedly said the benefits of the Read More…
MEDORA, N.D. — The statue of Theodore Roosevelt astride a horse and towering over an American Indian and African American that has drawn criticism in New York City will move to the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in western North Dakota. The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation and city of New York on Friday announced Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (PRESS RELEASE) – – Despite record amounts of payments over the past few years, Wyoming’s Unclaimed Property Division of the State Treasurer’s Office is holding on to more money than ever as the amount of money now being held exceeds $100 million. Wyoming law stipulates properties that have reached the required dormancy period Read More…
VAN HORN, Texas — Texas state troopers deployed to the border in remote West Texas to serve as backup to the overstretched Border Patrol are overwhelmed responding to the increasing number of illegal migrants who try to outrun them. The Texas Department of Public Safety has rerouted more than 1,000 officers from their normal duties to the border Read More…
Jerome Powell, who guided the Federal Reserve and the nation’s economy through the staggering and sudden Covid-19 recession by implementing unprecedented monetary stimulus, is being nominated for a second term as chairman of the U.S. central bank. President Joe Biden made the announcement Monday morning following weeks of speculation that a push from progressives might Read More…
ALBANY, N.Y. — On Monday morning, the New York State Assembly Judiciary Committee released its findings from its investigation into former Governor Andrew Cuomo. The investigation, which started before Cuomo’s resignation in August, sought to examine allegations of sexual harassment against the former governor. READ FULL STORY
You’ll sooner have fewer options, when it comes to air travel in and out of Billings. Frontier Airlines is canceling all flights to both Billings and Bozeman until next August. Frontier Airlines confirmed the cancellations Thursday, providing this statement: “The Frontier business model is changing in many ways and we continually review our flight schedules Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — For the past ten years, the Veterans of Foreign Warfare (VFW) Post 2252 has hosted the Veterans Annual Food Drive. This year, their goal was to fill a moving van with food donations for holiday meals. The drive took place in the Rosauers parking lot on Saturday, where volunteers and Veterans came out Read More…
It’s been 86 years since the Jewish community of Helena, Montana sold its first synagogue, Temple Emanu-El, to the city of Helena for just one dollar. Now, the small Jewish community that remains in the town is trying to buy it for nearly $1 million from the Helena Catholic Diocese, which purchased the building in 1981. Rebecca Read More…
HELENA, MT- For decades, Sgt. Patrick McLaughlin has served the state of Montana with the Montana Highway Patrol. Before working for MHP, McLaughlin was a volunteer firefighter for the Belgrade Fire Department for many years, which launched his career in service. “Even before I met Pat he was serving this community as a volunteer fire Read More…
Thousands of Massachusetts parents opted their children out of a federally funded sex education curriculum that teaches kindergartners about genitalia. Worcester Public Schools this week announced that 13 percent of its students opted out of sex education, including 20 percent of K-4 students. The “Rights, Respect, Responsibility,” or “3Rs,” curriculum teaches elementary students about gender Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Fish, Wildlife & Parks is proposing to develop a new archery range at Big Arm State Park outside Polson, and expand the current range at Lone Pine State Park in Kalispell. The state would put in a new gravel parking lot, a covered firing line, and an elevated shooting platform at Big Arm. Read More…
The first wave of Covid-19 peaked in the Flathead Valley exactly a year ago this week. Active cases in the county climbed to nearly 2,500 — the highest of the entire pandemic — and statewide hospitalizations and deaths were rising at an alarming rate. While vaccinations were still being developed at that time, promising research Read More…