The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) announced Wednesday the filing of a new lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the National Firearms Act (NFA), seeking to eliminate registration requirements for certain firearms. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas under case number 2:25-cv-00223, the case — Jensen v. ATF — names the Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a coalition of 20 states in backing President Donald Trump’s deployment of federal and National Guard forces to Portland, Oregon, in response to violent protests and threats against federal officers. The coalition filed an amicus brief Wednesday in the case State of Oregon and the City of Portland Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte and the Montana Chamber of Commerce will host the 2nd Annual Big Sky, Bright Future Economic Summit on Thursday, October 16, in Bozeman, bringing together business leaders, policymakers, and energy experts to focus on the theme of unleashing American-made energy in Montana. “With rising demand on our energy grid, Montana must continue Read More…
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Kurt Alme to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana, returning the Great Falls native to a post he previously held from 2017 to 2020. A seasoned prosecutor and respected public servant, Alme brings decades of experience in both state and federal law enforcement. His confirmation drew strong Read More…
President Donald Trump visited Arlington National Ceremony on Wednesday as part of a Veterans Day ceremony. Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in an act that has become a Veterans Day and Memorial Day tradition for presidents in the years since the remains of several unidentified U.S. soldiers who fought in Read More…
Retirement savers appear to be taking advantage of relaxed rules around 401(k) withdrawals during the coronavirus pandemic. The typical 401(k) investor pulled $12,000 from their account in the form of a “coronavirus-related distribution,” according to a new Vanguard analysis of its client data. This figure represents the median withdrawal — in other words, the amount right in the middle Read More…
MISSOULA – Montana Rail Link (MRL) announced Wednesday they released a special locomotive last week honoring veterans for Veteran’s Day. Additionally, MRL is also releasing a locomotive showing appreciation for essential workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Essential workers have played a critical role in keeping our communities healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic,” MRL Read More…
HELENA — Season work can be a good way to earn some extra money during the holidays, and help struggling families get back on their feet. Holiday hiring has begun in earnest, but those seasonal jobs are just a small portion of workforce shortage Helena businesses are currently experiencing. “There is an incredible need for Read More…
Teton County health officials have received permission from the state to continue issuing quarantine orders for close contacts of COVID-19-positive patients. Although much of Wyoming and the nation is too overwhelmed to contact trace cases, Teton County still aims to conduct contact tracing as staffing and caseloads allow. — Eds. (updated 1 p.m. Monday.) Read More…
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is closing its office in Libby after 20 years of community outreach and extensive cleanup work. The Libby Field Office on Ninth Street opened as an information center as the EPA was ramping up its cleanup efforts after the town was declared a Superfund site from decades of asbestos Read More…
Historians, educators and proud Montanans gathered at the State Capitol in Helena Friday to honor the 2020 Montana History teacher of the year. Abbey Kochel is the 31st educator to receive the Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award. Kochel teaches seventh grade at Castle Rock Middle School in Billings. Inspired by her father to become a Read More…
The former CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, is finalizing a plan to become a citizen of the island of Cyprus, Recode has learned, becoming one of the highest-profile Americans to take advantage of one of the world’s most controversial “passport-for-sale” programs. Schmidt, one of America’s wealthiest people, and his family have won approval to become Read More…
FARMINGTON, Utah — Montana and Montana State will meet in their annual Brawl of the Wild football game March 27 in Missoula, the Big Sky Conference said Wednesday in announcing its six-game league schedule for spring 2021. The abbreviated slate is set to begin Feb. 27 and will culminate April 10 with two conference-wide bye weeks Read More…
GREAT FALLS — The four-member staff of a Montana county’s health department has resigned, citing a lack of support by the county in fighting the coronavirus. A letter from Health Department Director Nicki Sullivan to the Pondera County Commission highlighted the need for a fairer wage, more transparency and additional contact tracers and staffers. “I want Read More…
Stephanie Kodish is used to opposition to her work. In her job with the National Parks Conservation Association, she pushes utilities to comply with environmental laws. That can mean installing expensive new anti-pollution technology on coal plants, or even closing them down. Last year, though, she encountered a completely new kind of opposition that left Read More…
After an evening of peaceful protests in the wake of the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr., tensions flared between officers and demonstrators Tuesday evening, and scattered looting broke out in several areas of the city, prompting police to request that residents of West and North Philadelphia, Kensington, and other areas remain indoors. Police and demonstrators Read More…
HELENA — A new grassroots organization has been created to help individuals and businesses challenge COVID mandates in Montana for what they call government overreach. The Freedom Protection Project was created by the organizers of the “Let Freedom Ring” concert that was held at the beginning of October in the Helena Valley. “A lot of Read More…
Two environmental groups have filed separate lawsuits to stop the Soldier-Butler timber project in the Ninemile Valley after U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided there was no long-term harm to grizzly bears. On Monday, the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force sued the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Missoula federal court Read More…
Passenger counts at Missoula International Airport continue to rebound from the deepest days of the pandemic, though they remain far below what they were at the same point last year. Still, the climbing numbers have airport officials feeling more optimistic than they were over the summer, when they were bracing for possible cuts to service. Read More…
Businesses in South Dakota now have an extra week to get aid from the state government program established to help make up for losses incurred due to COVID-19. While tens of thousands of entrepreneurs, small businesses and nonprofits took advantage of federal aid this spring when President Donald Trump signed the CARES Act into law, Read More…
Gov. Mark Gordon is allocating remaining CARES Act funds to help Wyoming businesses and nonprofits with ongoing coronavirus-related losses and expenses. The Wyoming Business Council is finalizing two new funds for the COVID-19 Business Relief Program: the Agriculture Fund and the Endurance Fund. Applications for both funds will be accepted from Nov. 2 through Nov. Read More…
Responding to a request from the Montana Department of Corrections, Governor Steve Bullock and Major General Matthew Quinn have activated the Montana Army National Guard to provide operational assistance at Montana State Prison, where staff and inmates have been impacted by COVID-19. The facility saw its first positive cases among staff and inmates earlier in Read More…
North Dakota’s Game and Fish Department is offering license refunds to more than 9,000 deer hunters due to an outbreak of disease in western North Dakota. State wildlife officials in August began documenting deer deaths due to epizootic hemorrhagic disease — commonly called EHD. “Loss of deer to this disease appears to have extended into Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. — The City of Evanston have applied for a $3 million grant and a $1,109,607 loan from the state to build a 60,000 acre square foot manufacturing facility at their Union Center Business Park. The facility would accommodate the relocation of Avalon International Aluminum, according to the Wyoming Business Council. The WBC Board of Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming State Parks and Historic Sites are proposing a fee increase effective January 1, 2021. The public is invited to attend information meetings as well as submit comments by November 14. Wyoming State Parks Deputy Director Dave Glenn explained the proposal saying, “All revenue collected through visitor fees goes right back to Read More…
A court document containing detailed information about Ghislaine Maxwell and her relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was unsealed on Thursday morning in New York just moments before a court-imposed deadline. This document, an April 2016 deposition, is among about a dozen long-awaited Maxwell files that have been unsealed, with the first filing involving Epstein accuser Virginia Read More…
In a press conference today, Governor Steve Bullock joined Yellowstone County Public Health Officer John Felton to announce increased enforcement of health officer orders, along with a website for residents to file complaints. “Just one business not complying with the public health measures, puts an increased risk on everyone else who is doing their due diligence to Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Director Sheila Hogan announced Monday that Montana has submitted its draft COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for review. “This is a critical step, and I’m pleased with where we’re at this point in the process,” Read More…
Montana gas prices are unchanged in the past week, averaging $2.25/g on Oct. 19, 2020, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 615 stations. Gas prices in Montana are 1.3 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 47.3 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the Read More…
The nation’s top military leaders have been cleared to return to work at the Pentagon after having self-quarantined as a precaution following the positive Covid-19 test of a senior Coast Guard official in early October. The go-ahead to resume work from the Pentagon was given last week, in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Six men in North Dakota were indicted by a Grand Jury Thursday for illegally obtaining firearms within the state. North Dakota U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley says 28-year-old Leoncio Bald Eagle claimed he had never been convicted of a crime when filling out an AFT form to obtain a gun. Wrigley says Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg told a 911 dispatcher that he had hit “something” in the middle of the road the night he struck and killed a pedestrian, according to a recording of a 911 call authorities released Tuesday. When a 911 dispatcher asked if could have been a deer, Ravnsborg said at first, “I Read More…
The Cascade County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation into the death of Sally Jane Demarais-Smith, who was found dead on Sunday afternoon. At around 2:30 p.m., her body was found inside her 2005 Toyota Corolla in a storage unit at 3033 Malmstrom Drive, according to Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter. Although located near Malmstrom Read More…
Brucellosis research will expand to outdoor settings in the greater Yellowstone area, the United States Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. USDA under secretary Greg Ibach announced the new research projects in front of stacks of hay at a ranch north of Belgrade. Ibach said the new testing guidelines will help the effort to eliminate brucellosis Read More…
Gov. Doug Burgum today announced the recipients of the 2020 Main Street Awards honoring communities and individuals who demonstrated excellence in elevating the three pillars of the Main Street Initiative through local projects or other efforts “We are deeply grateful for all the communities, organizations and individuals who have adopted the principles of the Main Read More…
BOISE, Idaho — The U.S. Air Force violated environmental laws by not adequately studying how noise from military jets coordinating exercises with plain-clothed airmen on the ground in Idaho could harm humans and wildlife, a judge has ruled. U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale ruled last week that the Air Force must conduct a more thorough Read More…
On Saturday, White House doctor Sean Conley said President Donald Trump no longer is positive for COVID-19. President Trump tested positive for COVID-19 10 days ago on Thursday. He was hospitalized from Friday through Monday at Walter Reed Medical Center. According to a letter, Conley wrote, “he is no longer considered a transmission risk to Read More…
MISSOULA — A federal judge convicted a Manhattan man of providing false information on a form when trying to buy a firearm, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said today. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen, on Oct. 1, found Joshua Rodney Meech, 29, guilty of false statement during a firearms transactions. The one-day bench trial was Read More…
The current U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo will join Montana State University’s celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday. Harjo, the first Native American to hold the national title, will read and discuss her work during a virtual event at noon. Her memoir “Crazy Brave” won the PEN USA Literacy Award for creative nonfiction and Read More…
Three Montana groups will share $1,894,452 in Department of Justice grants to improve services for crime victims in Montana. U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said Wednesday that Montana Legal Services Association will get $1 million, the Montana Board of Crime Control will be given $500,000 and the Chippewa Cree Tribe will receive $394,452 The grants, awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, Read More…
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Alaska Airlines laid off 147 workers at its call center in Boise. CORRECTED OCT 8, 2020 Alaska Airlines had planned to lay off 147 workers at its Boise call center but found a way to keep all of those workers on the job. “We were able to Read More…
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – For the first time since the 90s, a company created by South Dakota Mines staff and students was bought out. This time by a subsidiary of one of the largest private equity firms in the world. Gamma Biosciences, created by KKR, announced Monday that they are acquiring Nanopareil. The company Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (RELEASE) – Donate Life America (DLA), announced local WYDOT Driver Services Deputy Program Manager, Renee Krawiec, has received regional and national recognition for DMV Innovation. Renee was presented with the DLA and American Assocation of Motor Vehicle Administrators DMV Innovation Award on October 7 at Cheyenne Driver Services. Renee won this prestigious award Read More…
HELENA — On Wednesday, Governor Steve Bullock held a press conference with state health leaders to address the rise in COVID cases, the status of Montana hospitals dealing with COVID and unemployment insurance funds. Montana crossed 16,000 covid cases this week, with 5,352 COVID cases active in the state on Oct. 7. 733 daily COVID Read More…