(The Center Square) – Illinois is facing new lawsuits over the state’s digital ad tax and social media platform fee. Internet freedom advocate NetChoice – a trade organization that includes social media giants Meta, Google, X, TikTok and Snap – filed two complaints in Cook County court on Friday. NetChoice Litigation Center Director Paul Taske Read More…
The U.S. Treasury Department said its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network identified about $17.5 billion in suspicious financial activity potentially connected to health care fraud, highlighting the scale of schemes targeting Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers. The findings come from an analysis of 5,702 Bank Secrecy Act reports filed by financial institutions between March 1, Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has joined Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stop a multistate antitrust lawsuit seeking to block Paramount Skydance’s proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The filing puts Knudsen at the center of another major national antitrust fight, this time on the opposite Read More…
(The Center Square) – Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle acknowledged receiving a long-awaited formal explanation from Mayor Katie Wilson’s administration regarding the forced resignation of former Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes on Friday. He maintains he still disagrees with how the executive branch handled Barnes’ ousting. In a letter sent on behalf of the mayor, Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Social media censorship has become a hot button issue across the nation, especially for conservatives. Jordan Hall, who used Facebook for his online publication: The Montana Daily Gazette, says his reach has been limited due to content that did not meet the site’s community standards. He said he has lost revenue Read More…
BOZEMAN — Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen sat down to talk about drugs in Montana on today’s Montana This Morning. Knudsen is currently touring the state talking with law enforcement and local leaders about crime and drugs in their areas. He recently met with Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer who told him this area is Read More…
(The Center Square) – Wyoming is launching a reemployment campaign to help encourage Wyomingites back into the workforce following the pandemic. It’s a campaign simply to let people know they exist and offer a wide variety of services for free, according to Ty Stockton, communications manager for the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services. He noted the pandemic Read More…
With his sunglasses and cowboy hat, Bart Slaney smiles from his arena-side table as a capacity crowd begins to fill the stands of the Bigfork Summer Rodeo last Wednesday. After a year away from the sport in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Whitefish cowboy is excited to see the rodeo world returning to Read More…
GREAT FALLS — Governor Greg Gianforte, Montana Commission on Community Service Chair Kevin Myrhe, and the Governor’s Office of Community Service Director Sarah Sadowski presented five people and two organizations with their 2021 ServeMontana Awards. The awards were presented on June 25th in Helena. A news release says the purpose of the awards is to Read More…
Gen. Austin Miller, the commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, is stepping down on Monday — a symbolic end to America’s longest war that comes as the Taliban continue to gain territory in the absence of American troops. Miller, who has been commanding the coalition since 2018, will relinquish his post during a ceremony at Read More…
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A Haitian man arrested under suspicion of playing a leading role in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse appears to have presented himself as a potential leader of the impoverished Caribbean nation for as long as a decade. Police say Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 63, planned to assume the presidency and hire some of the men involved Read More…
Protesters took to the streets in Cuba on Sunday to protest shortages and the high cost of food amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Associated Press, protesters believe the Cuban government isn’t doing enough to help. The protests, which began around 2 p.m. local time, saw hundreds take to the street of San Lázaro, the Read More…
Alawsuit filed in federal court in late June alleges that Paul McCown, the former chief financial officer at Wyoming Catholic College, defrauded an investment firm out of $15 million. According to the suit, filed by New York-based advisory firm Ria R Squared, McCown is accused of faking bank statements that falsely said his bank account Read More…
Don and John Mueller are brothers who share a love of the history of the nation’s oldest national park and a love of the old buses that used to tour it in the years before World War II. Driving down Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge in a bright yellow bus made by White Motors in Read More…
Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who became famous for representing adult film star Stormy Daniels and publicly sparring with then-President Donald Trump, was sentenced in New York Thursday to 30 months in prison for trying to extort millions of dollars from Nike. Avenatti, 50, was convicted last year on charges that he tried to extort up to Read More…
About 125 soldiers from a Bismarck-based National Guard unit will be sent to the U.S. border with Mexico later this year for an undetermined amount of time, the North Dakota guard said Tuesday. The soldiers from the 957th Engineer Company are expected to begin the deployment this fall, the military said. READ FULL STORY
CASPER, Wyo. — Governor Mark Gordon is donating a wild bison hunting license to be raffled in order to raise funds to support Wyoming wildlife conservation. It is the third year in a row Gordon has donated a wild bison license for such efforts. “The bison is the symbol of Wyoming and a fitting hunt Read More…
Last month was the fourth hottest June on record in Kalispell, thanks in large part to the extreme heat wave that roasted the region the final week of the month. According to climate statistics from the National Weather Service in Missoula, the average temperature in June for Kalispell was 63.9 degrees, which is 6.3 degree Read More…
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) is seeking public comment on a proposal to purchase a conservation easement on more than 27,000 acres of timberland near Libby as part of an effort to protect the parcel for wildlife habitat and recreation while maintaining a working forest. The property is currently owned by Stimson Lumber Company, Read More…
COLSTRIP, Mont. – One person has been charged with negligent arson after unintentionally starting a range fire north of Colstrip. The Rosebud County Sheriff’s Office reports the range fire was caused by fireworks. READ FULL STORY
DEER LODGE — Wildlife officials are continuing to search for a grizzly bear that killed a camper in Ovando on Tuesday morning. The Powell County Sheriff’s Office reports traps have been set in the area while a ground and air search is continuing for the grizzly bear. READ FULL STORY
RED LODGE – The Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office and other regional search and rescue crews on Wednesday joined the effort to find a missing hiker in the Beartooth Mountains outside of Red Lodge. The additional resources were deployed to search for 23-year-old Tatum “Tate” Morell, who has not been heard from since the evening of Read More…
Two men arrested over the shooting of Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, who is fighting for his life in an Amsterdam hospital, will appear in court later this week, police said Wednesday. De Vries, a star reporter who had received multiple threats for his work covering the criminal underworld, was shot five times, Read More…
A federal judge has sentenced Allison Mack to 3 years in prison, along with a $20,000 fine, for her involvement in the NXIVM case. Mack was one of the lead deputies and recruiters for NXIVM — the cult group that masqueraded itself as a self-help organization. The group’s leader, Keith Raniere, was sentenced to 120 Read More…
Bill Cosby was released from prison Wednesday after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his sexual assault conviction and barred him from being retried. The 83-year-old comedian was released from custody just before 2:30 p.m., roughly two hours after the divided high court issued its decision, upending the first high-profile celebrity conviction of the #MeToo era. Read More…
A recent pop-up clinic intended to encourage hesitant veterans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 reflects dwindling demand for the shot in Montana. Nurse Tina Arvish sits behind a table at a temporary COVID-19 vaccine clinic tucked away from the bustle of a recent American Legion conference in Helena. “We have two nurses’ stations where we’re Read More…
GREAT FALLS — Maren Reilly took the oath of office on Tuesday and became the first female fire officer at Great Falls Fire Rescue. Fire Chief Jeremy Jones conducted the ceremony, administering the oath and promoting her to the rank of lieutenant. Maren’s husband Eric pinned her new gold lieutenant badge on her uniform, and Read More…
BILLINGS – With the rising number of violent crimes in Yellowstone County, State Attorney General Austin Knudsen stopped in Billings to meet with local law enforcement leaders. Our team had the opportunity speak with the attorney general and ask him questions sent in from our viewers. Knudsen says there’s a violent crime problem in Montana Read More…
LIVINGSTON — School may be out for the summer, but a new school bus has rolled into town. Lion Electric presented a demonstration of a model school bus, powered by electricity. Michelle Uberuaga, from Moms Clean Air Force, organized the event and invited all to climb aboard. In tow, were representatives from Lion Electric, and Read More…
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
Eleven people were struck by a barrage of gunfire in the Marquette Park neighborhood late Sunday, leaving a woman dead in the second of two mass shootings of the night in Chicago, according to police. The attack happened in the 6300 block of South Artesian Avenue about 10:55 p.m., police said in a media notification. Read More…
NEW YORK – Eight people were arrested in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park Sunday during another weekend of mayhem. According to police, a woman in her 20s bit an officer, another woman in her 20s struck an officer with a bottle, a man in his 20s slapped an officer and another man in his 20s went through a Read More…
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz will be looking to set some new ways with a fresh start, but there are some traditions he is keeping alive. Among them is his annual charity softball game in North Dakota. Wentz, along with several other former players from North Dakota State, partake in the event to help raise money for Read More…
In 2017, Caitlin Long, a former managing director at Morgan Stanley, was just trying to donate some Bitcoin to her alma mater, the University of Wyoming, she says. But the University of Wyoming wasn’t set up to accept Bitcoin donations, and because her Bitcoin had appreciated in value, her donation would go much further if Read More…
LAUREL – The current Montana real estate market is nothing short of crazy. As more people pour into the state, what was once just a Bozeman boom, seems to be impacting big and small home prices across the state. But, if you think picking up and moving to Laurel will help you escape this crazy Read More…
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…
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…
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – Governor Brad Little and State Controller Brandon Woolf announced Monday Idaho cities with populations below 50,000 will start receiving their share of $54 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Governor Little and the Idaho Legislature unanimously accepted the federal funds, which will be used by local government in Idaho to respond Read More…
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…
CASPER, Wyo. — 15 cars on a Union Pacific train derailed at around 2:15 am Monday near Hillsdale, Wyoming, UP Senior Communications Manager Mike Jaixen said in an email on Monday afternoon. No injuries were reported and crews are working to clear the tracks, according to Jaixen. Those efforts are expected to continue into Monday Read More…
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…
BILLINGS — Come Saturday evening, “the biggest football event in Montana barring a football game” is scheduled to occur. After two days of festivities leading up to the event, the Montana Football Hall of Fame Induction Banquet is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center. READ FULL STORY
HELENA — Law enforcement officials referring individuals to Montana’s Adult Protective Services (APS) is on pace for a 50% increase in 2021. This is because Elder Abuse is on the rise in Montana and the Department of Justice partnered with the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) to now train law enforcement officials Read More…
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…