The Grand Forks community marked a milestone this week with the official ribbon cutting of the Grand Forks Career Impact Academy, a $30.5 million career and technical education facility designed to connect students with hands-on learning aligned to regional and statewide workforce needs. Located near Gateway Drive and 42nd Street, the facility will welcome students Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines visited the Bull Mountains Mine in Musselshell County on Friday, celebrating what he called a major victory for Montana jobs and American energy. The mine, one of the state’s three large-scale active coal operations, had faced the prospect of closure in recent years but will remain open due to a provision Read More…
(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska Friday in the hopes of negotiating a ceasefire or initial steps toward peace in the Russia-Ukraine war. Though the presidents’ greeting was streamed live on the White House YouTube channel, the press has not yet been able to ask questions Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined a coalition of 37 state Attorneys General urging Instagram to make immediate changes to its recently launched location-sharing feature, citing concerns over user privacy and public safety. The coalition’s letter requests that Instagram prevent minors from enabling location sharing, provide clear alerts to adult users detailing the Read More…
U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester have announced that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) will be directing $3,900,000 through the EDA’s CARES Act Recovery Assistance program and $11,209,000 through the EDA’s CARES Act Recovery Assistance Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) to support Montana communities, small businesses and jobs amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “This funding Read More…
Several communities across southwest Montana are beginning to see smoke move in from wildfires in northern California. Fine particulate levels in Bozeman shifted into the unhealthy category around 8 a.m. Saturday, according to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s air monitoring website. Butte’s air quality also shifted into unhealthy territory around 10 a.m. Hamilton, Dillon Read More…
Hospitals in Xinjiang aborted late-stage pregnancies and killed newborns as part of China’s mission to erase Uighur culture, a doctor who worked in the region told Radio Free Asia on Monday. Since 2016, China has interned at least 1 million Uighurs in hundreds of prison camps, which it euphemistically calls “reeducation centers,” where Uighurs are forced to abandon their heritage Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Actress Sharon Stone is criticizing the availability of COVID-19 testing in Montana, where her sister and brother-in-law are hospitalized with the respiratory virus. Stone posted a video on Instagram on Sunday expressing frustration at a lack of testing for front-line workers and people who have been on contact with someone who has COVID-19. Read More…
The state of Montana has applied for federal grant money to add $400 per week to individual unemployment benefits. President Donald Trump ordered the boost in payments a week ago. People had been receiving an added $600 per week in unemployment payments under the CARES Act, but that expired at the end of July. Trump Read More…
The state health department is abandoning a proposed rule that would have banned the sale of flavored vaping products in Montana. The contentious rule was supported by health care advocates and others who cited studies showing that flavored vaping products enticed young adults and led to a lifetime of tobacco use. Vape shop owners opposed the rule, saying that Read More…
The Idaho Business Review has selected 21 top legal professionals as 2020 Leaders in Law honorees, recognizing them for leadership, professional achievements, mentorship and community service. The winners range from relative newcomers to the industry who are rapidly making their mark to legal aces with decades of experience. They represent five awards categories: partner, associate, Read More…
North Dakota oil production recovered slightly in June but was still near historic lows as the pandemic-induced petroleum slump continued. North Dakota, the nation’s second-largest oil-producing state, pumped out 890,109 barrels per day in June, up 3.6% from May when output hit a seven-year low. Natural gas production in June increased 2.3% from the previous Read More…
The Wyoming County Fair may have been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy the taste of the fair. Doug Anderson of the Pike Fire Department organized the Wyoming County Food Truck Rally for two reasons. “You take a big loss when it’s one of your biggest revenues Read More…
HELENA – The Montana Department of Commerce’s Office of Tourism and Business Development have launched a campaign to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The ‘Montana Aware’ Campaign promotes Safety First, Adventure Second. With this slogan, the message they want to get across is safe and responsible behavior to those who are traveling in the state. The public health initiative aims to educate residents and Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota has new signs welcoming people to the state. The design features the new state logo and includes the first photo background used on a North Dakota welcome sign. READ FULL STORY
Aug. 7 (UPI) — A Wyoming sheriff’s deputy responded to an unusual loose animal call and ended up wrangling a runaway emu. The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office said Deputy Herlihey was dispatched to a neighborhood for an “emu on the loose call.” READ FULL STORY
MISSOULA — The popular “Yellowstone” series featuring Kevin Costner announced Friday it plans to move its production to the Missoula Valley and surrounding locations later this month. The series was formerly shot in Utah and will be filmed solely in Montana for the first time in its history, according to Friday’s announcement. The production secured Read More…
NorthWestern Energy is warning that scammers are likely to use the end of the temporary moratorium on service disconnections to steal money from Montanans. NorthWestern Energy voluntarily stopped service disconnections for non-payment in March to assist customers financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several additional tools are in place now to assist customers who may Read More…
Dickinson’s Fisher Industries won a new border wall contract Monday for $300 million. The wall will cover 17 miles in Laredo, Texas, next to the Rio Grande. Fisher already got more than $1.5 billion for two other contracts. READ FULL STORY
(CNN)Twelve people were hospitalized in Wyoming on Monday after a hot air balloon crash, officials said. Three hot air balloons carrying a total of 36 people crashed into the ground on Monday morning, according to Jackson Hole Fire Chief Brady Hansen. Hansen said authorities received a call just after 8 a.m. local time that Read More…
BEIRUT — A “colossal” explosion that rocked the port area of Lebanon’s capital Tuesday, killing dozens of people and injuring thousands more, happened at a warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate were being stored, the prime minister said. “I will not rest until we find the person responsible for what happened, to hold him accountable Read More…
WASHINGTON—Saudi Arabia has constructed with Chinese help a facility for extracting uranium yellowcake from uranium ore, an advance in the oil-rich kingdom’s drive to master nuclear technology, according to Western officials with knowledge of the site. The facility, which hasn’t been publicly disclosed, is in a sparsely populated area in Saudi Arabia’s northwest and has Read More…
With the stroke of President Donald Trump’s pen, the biggest land conservation legislation in a generation became law Tuesday morning, prompting widespread praise on a measure that sets a new standard of stewardship for public lands. The bill, called the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), authorizes billions in funding for two major conservation needs — Read More…
Despite clouds of uncertainty hanging over higher education from the coronavirus pandemic, Montana State University took an optimistic step Tuesday by celebrating the completion of its new $50 million freshman student dormitory, Hyalite Hall. President Waded Cruzado and other officials, all wearing face masks and sitting at a distance, gathered outside the new six-story, Read More…
Virgin Galactic is making strides toward its goal of creating high-speed commercial aircraft that operates a little closer to Earth than its existing passenger spacecraft. The company revealed the initial design of the commercial passenger airplane it’s creating that’s designed to fly at speeds in excess of Mach 3 — faster than the average cruising speed of around Read More…
NEW YORK — As autumn nears and the coronavirus outbreak wears on, the next school year is becoming more uncertain for many parents. A new survey finds four in five parents are thinking about homeschooling their school-age children this fall. Of those parents, nearly half say they’re seriously considering keeping their kids home in 2020 and Read More…
Jessica Dehn had been thinking for a few years about what kind of school she might want to run. After four and a half years directing a childcare center, Dehn put together the pieces in June to focus on launching a new school. In September, just three months later, she plans to open Explore Academy. Read More…
This story is part of an NPR nationwide analysis of states’ revenue and budgets during the pandemic. Montana’s finances are somewhat stable despite the economic hit the state has taken during the coronavirus pandemic. That’s the word from the state’s budget office. “This is essentially a manageable situation, which is pretty remarkable in the face of a Read More…
The letters of three Montana women politicians offer historic insight as the nation celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment in August, which gave women the right to vote. Women’s earliest known role in Montana politics began in 1882 when Helen Piotopowaka Clarke was the first woman and first Native American elected as county Read More…
New Jersey lawmakers seemed close to supporting legislation on Thursday that could free more than 3,000 prisoners — about 20 percent of the state’s prison population — months before their release dates in response to the extraordinary threat posed by the coronavirus in tightly packed correctional facilities. Inmates who are within a year of completing Read More…
A U.S. appeals court on Thursday agreed to rehear arguments over whether the judge assigned to the criminal case against Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, must grant a request to dismiss it. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said it would hold an oral argument in Read More…
WASHINGTON, DC (KOTA) – A former Indian Health Service doctor convicted of pedophilia continues to receive a government pension; but South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson wants that to end. Johnson, along with Rep. Greg Gianforte of Montana urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to hold pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber fully accountable for Read More…
Flathead County health officials say with the rise in COVID-19 cases is becoming harder to trace within the community. Interim Flathead County Public Health Officer Tamalee Robinson explained to MTN News that with the busy tourist season in the Flathead Valley has seen an increase in virus cases. She says that many locals and visitors Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — A homeless camp along Missoula’s North Reserve Street continues to grow amid the coronavirus pandemic. In the winter, officials estimate 15 to 20 people were living along the banks of the Clark Fork. That number grows every summer, but due to the pandemic they now estimate 60 to 80 people are living there. Read More…
The warning had been in place for a long time: The 100-year-old St. Mary River diversion system was likely to fail at any moment. On May 17 it happened. A concrete structure on the St. Mary Canal near Glacier National Park crumbled and washed downstream, shutting off flow to the Milk River and leaving the Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – There have been reports of Montanans getting unsolicited packages in the mail from china containing packets of seeds. We reached out to a local botanist at MSUB to find out why it’s important not to plant or throw away any unsolicited seeds you may have received in the mail. Dr. Jason Comer Read More…
A Towner, North Dakota rancher has been appointed by Governor Doug Burgum to the North Dakota Beef Commission. Jason Zahn will serve as a beef producer director on the commission. He joins the NDBC as one of nine voting members, all representing various segments of the state’s beef industry. Zahn and his family run a Read More…
Three Wyoming state agencies will together provide 500,000 face coverings to school districts here, the departments announced Monday. The reusable face coverings, distributed by the departments of Health and Education and the Office of Homeland Security, are currently required for use within schools when staff and students can’t maintain 6 feet of distance. The gear Read More…
The old federal building in downtown Missoula may soon be declared a national monument. Missoula County Commission chair Josh Slotnick agreed to sign the official letter to the General Services Administration asking for the building to be turned over to local government. The county wouldn’t have to pay for the building as long as they Read More…
Montana university officials approved guidelines for colleges and universities statewide to reopen campuses in the fall. These measures, known as Montana University System Healthy Fall 2020 Task force Guidelines, would be used as the framework for campuses to form their own individual safe back-to-school plans. A few of the key points listed in those guidelines Read More…
Two members of Congress have written a letter to officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) demanding that former Indian Health Services pediatrician and convicted pedophile Stanley Patrick Weber be stripped of his pension. Congressmen Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, and Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, wrote Monday that by allowing Weber to continue Read More…
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — A Montana man is recovering after being mauled by a grizzly bear Monday in an abandoned barn. Shannun Rammell, 50, was looking for the bear after a neighbor reported seeing tracks in the area, the Great Falls Tribune reported. The family drove to an unoccupied farm nearby but saw no signs of Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Unordered packages containing unknown seeds are arriving in mailboxes across the country with return addresses in China. Montana officials started getting reports of the unsolicited packages this week. According to the Montana Department of Agriculture, it’s important that recipients of these unsolicited packages of seeds do not plant them. “Could they be harmless Read More…
Gov. Steve Bullock this week said his administration has “allocated” two-thirds of the Montana’s $1.25 billion in federal money for Covid-19 impacts – but, so far only $160 million has actually been distributed. Bullock, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate, has been under fire from Republican legislative leaders for not getting the money out Read More…