WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order directing federal health officials to review and potentially update the United States’ childhood vaccine schedule to better align with practices in peer developed nations, citing findings that the U.S. currently recommends more childhood vaccines than any comparable country. The order directs the Centers for Disease Control Read More…
WASHINGTON — Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen joined Vice President JD Vance, the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, and attorneys general from 15 other states at an anti-fraud roundtable focused on combating wasteful spending, abuse, and fraud in federal benefit programs including Medicaid and SNAP. The White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud Read More…
The Department of War has awarded $27.3 million to Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company, bringing its total investment in the solid rocket motor supply chain to $191 million since December 2024, as the Pentagon moves aggressively to close production gaps in a segment it considers strategically vital. The latest award, funded through the Defense Production Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a coalition of ten state attorneys general in calling on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct a rigorous review of any filings submitted by OpenAI ahead of the company’s anticipated initial public offering, citing concerns about undisclosed conflicts of interest involving chief executive Sam Altman. In Read More…
Commercial air service into Missoula International Airport has fallen to a trickle over the past month, and airport officials are bracing for a challenging future as airlines respond to the economic headwinds. Fewer than 125,000 passengers are passing through airport security nationally on a daily basis, leaving commercial air travel just 5% of what it Read More…
BOISE, Idaho — Even in a pandemic, entrance fees at Idaho state parks still apply. State parks have seen a major increase in visitors since the coronavirus outbreak spurred closures and event cancellations across Idaho. But officials with the parks department say many of those visitors are not paying the required fees to get in. Read More…
You can check out the full map by clicking here. Montana’s jobless claims numbers were worse than nearly every other state in the Rocky Mountain West and Great Plains Region stretching from Canada down to Mexico. This is also interesting news from another standpoint- why is Montana’s economic data so much worse than North and South Read More…
Researchers at the University of Montana and two Missoula-based biotech companies with ties to venture capitalist Mike Goguen are engaged in separate efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and gain authorization for a mass-scalable viral test. Inimmune, a private company involved in UM’s vaccine work and founded by nationally reputed vaccine scientists, is also gearing Read More…
HELENA- On Wednesday, Governor Steve Bullock outlined protocols to increase testing capacity in Montana. A part of the state’s core preparedness responsibilities in the Reopening the Big Sky plan is ensuring those who are symptomatic can be tested for COVID-19 and trace contacts Bullock said. A testing target of 60,000 tests for the virus per Read More…
Half the country has been personally economically impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, and overwhelming numbers of Americans do not think schools, restaurants or sporting events with large crowds should reopen until there is further testing, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. President Trump does not fare very well as far as his handling of the Read More…
Car-rental company Hertz is preparing for a potential bankruptcy filing, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, as the coronavirus pandemic brings nearly all travel to a standstill. People familiar with the matter told the paper that Hertz is working to reduce its debt payments and is in talks on a forbearance agreement that could help it Read More…
NORFOLK, Va. — The Navy hospital ship sent to relieve stressed New York City hospitals as coronavirus cases surged is set to leave this week and return to its homeport in Virginia, the U.S. Navy said. The USNS Comfort will set sail for Norfolk on Thursday, officials said in a statement Tuesday. The ship docked in Manhattan on March Read More…
LARAMIE — Wyoming will be handsomely compensated for its trip to Texas during the 2023 football season. UW announced the pending matchup with the Longhorns, scheduled for Sept. 16, 2023 at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, earlier this year. Texas, which won’t be making the return trip to War Memorial Stadium, will pay UW $1.85 million for Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Some Wyoming school districts are deciding to remain closed for the rest of the school year. The Casper Star-Tribune reports that Natrona County on Monday joined a handful of other districts in deciding against reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic. Others include Albany and Campbell counties, and the Green River-based Sweetwater County Read More…
When Bryan Kirkland started taking appointments for haircuts Monday, the schedule filled up fast. Kirkland, co-owner of The Barbershop and Shaving Parlor, had 67 messages from people who couldn’t get a spot on his list. “They were so ready to come back to get their hair cut,” Kirkland said. READ FULL STORY
HELENA — Montana main street and retail businesses that closed their doors due to COVID-19 restrictions, were able to open up again Monday as part of the State’s “Phase One” of reopening. Gov. Steve Bullock told MTN this milestone was only possible because Montanans took the virus seriously. “We’re one of the few states in Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFGO) – Gov. Doug Burgum is clarifying that North Dakota businesses which are not covered under his statewide executive closure orders are allowed to be open. Burgum ordered schools and a select group of businesses to close in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19. “If you are closed and if you aren’t Read More…
One of the advocates of a movement urging Idahoans to disobey the governor’s stay at home order has been arrested at a protest in Meridian. Forty-year-old Sara Brady, who’s affiliated with the anti-vaccine groups Idahoans for Vaccine Freedom Health Freedom Idaho, was arrested at Kleiner Park in Meridian Tuesday afternoon. As a video posted to Read More…
JACKSON, Wyo. — Census season is in full swing and Wyoming is falling far behind in its responses. The national self-response rate currently hovers at around 50.5%; Wyoming is lagging behind that at 41.7%—the majority of that response coming from online responders. Only West Virginia (39%), New Mexico (39.7%), and Maine (41%) have been slower Read More…
As governors around the country weigh reopening their economies amid the fight against COVID-19, a patchwork of stay-home orders and other business restrictions exist. Some states are moving faster to reopen, like Georgia, where the governor is allowing nail salons, bowling alleys and other businesses to reopen Friday. Other states such as New Hampshire are Read More…
MILES CITY, Mont. — Miles City Community Improvements is a non-profit organization in Miles City that has donated Chromebooks to teachers in the Miles City School District. According to Miles City Community Improvements board member Marc Ingraham, Miles City Community Improvements has donated 20 Chromebooks to teachers in the Miles City School District. Ingraham says funding came Read More…
HELENA — Spring sports in Montana are officially canceled. The Montana High School Association and executive director Mark Beckman sent a release on Wednesday afternoon following Gov. Steve Bullock’s press conference detailing the gradual re-opening of Montana, beginning with “Phase 1” this weekend. In that press conference, Bullock said schools would have the option to Read More…
Futures prices for oil fell into the negatives for the first time in recorded history Monday, further straining a Wyoming economy already reeling from months of price declines, continuing strife in the coal industry and the shutdown of numerous businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. West Texas Intermediate oil contracts for the month of Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Gov. Steve Bullock announced the arrival of 5,000 nasal swabs from FEMA to help open access to more COVID-19 testing in Montana. The announcement comes on the same day the state reported zero new cases. “Just days ago, I joined Republican and Democrat governors in voicing concerns to the president about the shortage Read More…
Congressman Greg Gianforte visited with Q2 by Zoom on Monday morning and spoke about stimulus package expansion efforts, reopening businesses in Montana, and what it’s like to campaign in 2020. FULL STORY
It’s a good problem to have: how to spend $1.25 billion to restart Montana’s economy. That’s one of the big challenges as Montana begins to take steps to become one of the first states in the nation to lift its stay-at-home orders. Last week, Gov. Steve Bullock appointed a 26-member task force, charged with offering Read More…
MISSOULA — Some Anaconda area landowners still have a chance to force the Atlantic Richfield Co. remove more arsenic from their property. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision that Montana’s courts and laws can play a role in federal Superfund decisions. However, the court also decided – not quite unanimously – Read More…
The central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus first appeared late last year, revised its death toll sharply higher on Friday. Local authorities changed the previous figure of 2,579 to 3,869, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. The change, 1,290 additional deaths, is an increase of almost exactly 50%. Officials also added another 325 Read More…
AMMON — An Idaho Falls man was arrested Wednesday after investigators say he traded sex with a teenage girl for a vape pen. Investigators were alerted of the alleged sexual activity between the victim and Tyler M. Meng, 26, when Facebook sent sexually explicit messages to investigators, according to court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com. Meng Read More…
CHEYENNE– Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon held a COVID-19 Coronavirus press conference Wednesday afternoon, in which he said the state’s economy is a changed one and will continue to be different for a long time to come. To help combat the financial impacts of COVID-19, Governor Gordon has directed all state agencies to identify opportunities to immediately Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — A Bozeman-area company flew more 250 donated shield masks to groups across western Montana Thursday morning. Bridger Aerospace manufactures defense equipment, but when COVID-19 cases started spreading in Montana, they made changes at their factory to begin producing face masks. Bridger Aerospace CEO Tim Sheehy said they’re working to make masks and donate Read More…
MISSOULA — Travelers flying to Montana for a taste of the outdoors has been one of the real bright spots in recent years, helping the state’s tourism sector generate a record $3.7 billion last year. But the COVID-19 pandemic has parked most of those planes. “The airline industry is going to be the one that Read More…
Holly Michels Montana reached 404 known COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with at least 209 recoveries statewide and 21 actively hospitalized. That represents a gain of five cases since Tuesday, the same number of cases the state added Monday and Tuesday. Prior to this week, the last time the state added fewer than seven cases in a day was Read More…
**Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article implied the business is in Wyoming, Michigan. It’s actually in the state of Wyoming. LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan Attorney General’s Office has warned a business in Wyoming state to stop falsely marketing the types of face masks it sells, also sending it a cease-and-desist letter for Read More…
HELENA — Montana Department of Labor & Industry Acting Commissioner Brenda Nordlund announced Tuesday that Montana has begun paying the additional $600 Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefit established with the passage of the recent federal stimulus package, or CARES Act. DLI began paying the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefit on the evening of Monday, April Read More…
MISSOULA — The University of Montana on Monday placed 63 employees on temporary furlough, saying the financial strain brought on by the coronavirus pandemic necessitated the decision. The university reached out to the individuals on Monday and issued a campus-wide memo later in the day announcing the decision. The workers will remain on furlough through Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock says he doesn’t have a timeline for things to return to normal in Montana after the coronavirus outbreak. He spoke to residents in a telephone town hall on Monday, saying he’ll continue issuing his stay-at-home orders in two-week intervals based on advice from medical professionals. Bullock says indicators such Read More…
The Public Service Commission is holding two hearings on proposed projects this week, one Tuesday for a natural gas pipeline in Mountrail and Williams counties and another Friday for a wind farm in Burke County. Liberty Midstream Solutions is proposing a 4.7-mile steel transport to carry 80 million cubic feet per day of residue gas, Read More…
President Donald Trump on Saturday granted state leaders’ request for Wyoming to be declared a major disaster area because of the effects of the coronavirus. The declaration means state, local and tribal governments in Wyoming will be eligible for federal aid to help recovery efforts. As of Friday, Wyoming had recorded over 300 confirmed and Read More…
A Johnson County man who was infected with the novel coronavirus has died, the first such death in Wyoming, the Department of Health confirmed Monday. There has now been a death in every U.S. state. “This is a sad development we hoped we wouldn’t see in Wyoming and we want this person’s family to Read More…
Financial concerns also continue to mount during this pandemic. Scams aimed at seniors can always be a problem and even more now. State Auditor and Securities and Insurance Commissioner Matt Rosendale, a Republican, is warning Montanans about fraud exploitation. His office, along with the Montana attorney general, the U.S. Attorney and several other agencies formed Read More…
HELENA — Jim Murphy, Montana’s chief epidemiologist, has heard the same stories most everyone in the state has heard about residents who’ve made unsuccessful attempts to get themselves tested for COVID-19. But even as national headlines worry over testing backlogs in some parts of the country, he says testing constraints haven’t hampered Montana’s coronavirus response. Read More…
BILLINGS – Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming (GSMW) are sending cookie donations to hospitals throughout Montana and Wyoming during the pandemic, they announced Monday. GSMW are giving a total of 8,000 boxes of cookies as a thank you to healthcare employees at 13 hospitals in Montana and Wyoming. READ FULL STORY
KALISPELL — A seventh COVID-19 related death is being reported in Montana. The Flathead City-County Health Department confirmed Monday the first death related to COVID-19 in Flathead County. The individual was over the age of 65 and was a resident of Flathead County who had had underlying health conditions, according to a news release. “We Read More…