Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a coalition of 20 state attorneys general seeking to intervene in two federal lawsuits that could eliminate a widely used permitting process for oil and natural gas pipelines crossing rivers, streams and wetlands. The states argue that eliminating Nationwide Permit 12, a federal authorization administered by the U.S. Read More…
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined senior federal law enforcement officials to announce expanded efforts to combat government benefits fraud in Minnesota, including new financial reporting guidance, a $25 million whistleblower incentive program and additional enforcement actions targeting alleged Medicaid fraud. The announcement came one day after federal investigators executed search warrants and arrested four individuals Read More…
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service have proposed new regulations tightening eligibility and verification requirements for federal health insurance subsidies, implementing changes enacted under President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts legislation. The proposed rules would affect the Premium Tax Credit, a refundable federal tax credit that helps qualifying individuals and families purchase health Read More…
GRAND FORKS, N.D.—The University of North Dakota will host retired Air Force Col. Patrick “Mike” Shortsleeve, a national security and intelligence expert now working in the defense industry, for a campus presentation Nov. 5. Shortsleeve, vice president of strategic development at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., will speak at 2:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – The Yellowstone County Health Officer has declared a public health emergency and ordered the closure of bars, brew pubs, wineries, and casinos in Yellowstone County to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The order also includes restaurants, with the exception of takeout and delivery services. Excluded from the order are food service Read More…
Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) invited high school students in Montana to participate in the 2020 Congressional Art Competition. “Through the Congressional Art Competition, Montana’s high school students can showcase their talents. The winner’s artwork will hang in the U.S. Capitol where hundreds of thousands of visitors will see it,” Gianforte said. “I look forward Read More…
HELENA — The Montana High School Association executive board has decided to suspend spring activities across Montana following the growing threat and concern of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). “All MHSA spring activities will be indefinitely suspended until further notice,” stated a release sent Monday morning. “This includes practices and contests/meets/festivals.The Executive Board will reevaluate this Read More…
The North Dakota Emergency Commission voted Tuesday to accept up to $6 million in federal funds to contain and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus disease, COVID-19. Congress passed and President Trump signed legislation last week appropriating $8.3 billion for COVID-19 preparedness, prevention and treatment efforts. Of the total, $950 million will go to state Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — A Canadian company said Wednesday it has started preliminary work along the route of the proposed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline through the U.S. in anticipation of starting construction next month, as opponents await a judge’s ruling on their request to block any work. TC Energy spokeswoman Sara Rabern said the Calgary-based company Read More…
Montana State University and two Bozeman schools have cancelled international trips due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus, and students studying in Italy will cut their trip short. Seventeen MSU art students and one professor in Italy are leaving Rome this week, and have been asked to self-quarantine off-campus for 14 days Read More…
Update 4:50 p.m. Gov. Steve Bullock said in a news release that the Montana woman who tested positive for COVID-19 in Maryland was last in Montana in November 2019 and was not in the state during the 14-day incubation period. “Since the case was announced earlier today, public health officials have been working nonstop to Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. – This is a look at the toilet paper aisle at Target in Bismarck Monday afternoon. Dina Maas sent us this picture and says you can’t see it by this picture, but there were just a few packs of toilet paper left. Maas says Target also has a sign up at check-out limiting how Read More…
Wyoming oil producers are hoping for the best but realize global factors beyond their control could damage their industry, the spokesman for the Petroleum Association of Wyoming said Monday. “With the lower demands due to concerns over COVID-19 [the novel coronavirus] and, of course, the announced flooding of oil supplies from Saudi Arabia over the Read More…
Montana State Auditor, Matt Rosendale, says fear and uncertainty in the market can leave investors vulnerable to scams. He advises Montanans to follow these tips: – Never accept any investments that are “guaranteed.” Investments are never guaranteed. – If someone offers an investment that is only available for a short period of time, that is Read More…
BIG TIMBER, Mont. – A Montana woman from Big Timber is being quarantined on a cruise ship where at least 21 passengers tested positive for coronavirus. Judy Vidack, a retired fourth grade teacher at Big Timber Grade School, announced on Facebook she is still aboard the ship and she is also feeling well. Vidak is Read More…
With less than a month to go before the U.S. Census Bureau kicks off its headcount of every person in the country, Montana has only hired half of the workers it says it needs. The bureau is still seeking temporary workers leading up to census day on Apr. 1. There are currently 2,400 projected temporary Read More…
More money is available in exchange for information on two separate February poaching cases in southwest Montana. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced Monday that donors boosted the cash available for information about poached elk and pronghorn in the Paradise Valley and several trumpeter swans that were shot and killed on Central Park Pond Read More…
Walmart said Tuesday it is deploying an emergency employee leave program as the retailer confirms one of its store associates in Cynthiana, Kentucky, has tested positive for the coronavirus. The infected employee is a woman and Walmart said she is improving with medical care. The new policy comes as the coronavirus spreads throughout many U.S. states where the Read More…
Airlines have wasted thousands of gallons of fuel running empty “ghost” flights during the coronavirus outbreak because of European rules saying operators can lose their flight slots if they keep their planes on the ground. Demand for flights has collapsed across the globe amid growing fears about the outbreak. Under Europe’s rules, airlines operating out of Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. — The 14-year-old West Yellowstone boy accused of murdering his 12-year-old nephew will find out in July if he’ll be tried as an adult. A Gallatin County court will decide if James Sasser III will be tried as an adult on July 7. READ FULL STORY
Weeks after Hardin teen Selena Not Afraid’s body was found near an I90 rest stop, Big Horn County investigators are responding to tough questions and criticism from their own community. Last weekend, authorities released final autopsy results for the 16-year-old Not Afraid, who went missing on New Year’s Day from a rest stop between Billings Read More…
As cases of coronavirus continue to grow in the U.S., Idaho is taking steps to try to slow its eventual migration to the state. There are no confirmed cases in Idaho, as of Wednesday afternoon, but six people have been tested and dozens are being monitored, according to state officials. Risk of contracting the illness Read More…
MINOT, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators voted Wednesday to reject a permit for a proposed wind farm in Ward and McLean Counties. The Public Service Commission denied the permit for Southern Power’s Ruso Wind project by a 2-1 vote. But the commission left open the possibility of reconsidering the project down the road. The project Read More…
Edward Seidel, who touted economic development and the university’s role in enhancing the state’s economic well-being, has been unanimously selected to be the 28th president of the University of Wyoming. Currently the vice president for economic development and innovation for the University of Illinois System, Seidel was one of three finalists for the position. The Read More…
KALISPELL — Officials in Washington State reported Monday that four more people have died from the coronavirus bringing the state’s death toll to six and as the cases continue to add up, Flathead County officials are taking pre-preemptive measures to help contain a potential outbreak. Kalispell Regional Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Dr. Doug Nelson says Read More…
HELENA — U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is asking the federal government to delay enforcing Real ID requirements in Montana, as state authorities continue to issue compliant identification. Daines’ office announced Monday that the senator had sent a letter to President Donald Trump, asking for a one-year extension of the Oct. 1 enforcement deadline. In the Read More…
BUFFALO — Johnson County is cowboy country – the land of the Virginian, Butch Cassidy and Sheriff Walt Longmire. But soon those Western heroes will have company. A new congregation of cowboys and cowgirls will descend on the county soon, courtesy of the Buffalo High School English department’s annual January Jubilee program. The jubilee, which Read More…
Wyoming isn’t typically known for being on the cutting edge of technology, but when it comes to 3D printing, research about and usage of the slowly maturing technology has already found a home. For instance, ceramic-printing research at the University of Wyoming could someday allow people to fly farther for cheaper. In Jackson, inexpensive prototyping Read More…
Tony Romo and CBS finalized a 10-year contract extension last Friday that will net Romo more than he made in his entire NFL career. Before CBS agreed to make Romo the highest-paid sports broadcaster ever, the network made a phone call to one of his quarterbacking contemporaries. Via Andrew Marchand, the New York Post’s media reporter, CBS called Read More…
The first person to test positive for coronavirus in New York City arrived there following a visit to Iran last week, the New York Post reported on Monday. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the patient is a 39-year-old healthcare worker who attempted to avoid contaminating others by acting in a “textbook way.” The woman was aware that Read More…
Montana schools are now mandated to test drinking water for lead, following state rule changes related to school health. Schools are required to test all fixtures that may “reasonably provide water for human consumption or for food preparation,” such as drinking fountains, water bottle refill stations and sinks. Schools may begin testing as early as Read More…
What about the inflatable Raptor? Erica Schnee, principal of Bozeman’s new Gallatin High School, laughed when she raised the topic to the guy in charge of school buildings, Todd Swinehart, as they huddled in Bozeman High’s Berg Library. They meet weekly to go over hundreds of details and decisions that go into building Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) Dan White, the last University of Wyoming finalist, started his forum showing some photos of his outdoor travels to a group that came to listen. “We are winter people,” White said. He said he never goes into a conversation without being willing to change his mind. “If you go into a Read More…
As NorthWestern Energy seeks to acquire more power for its Montana customers, it’s already charging some of the highest electric rates in the region, among major utilities, an MTN News analysis shows. As of next week, NorthWestern’s residential customers in Montana will be paying 11.6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for their power – the Read More…
A Montana State University police officer has been suspended after an investigation found that she violated the department’s code of conduct and safety policies during a January traffic stop. MSU released a report Thursday outlining what happened when Officer Angela Roundtree got involved in a Jan. 8 traffic stop and had a verbal altercation with Read More…
A Flathead County District Judge on Thursday denied Michael Goguen’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit by Whitefish’s police chief, whose December 2019 complaint accuses the wealthy philanthropist of interfering with a criminal investigation and trying to get the city’s top law enforcement officer fired. Goguen denies the allegations set forth in the lawsuit by Whitefish Read More…
MOSCOW — Bus drivers in Moscow kept their WhatsApp group chat buzzing with questions this week about what to do if they spotted passengers who might be from China riding with them in the Russian capital. “Some Asian-looking (people) have just got on. Probably Chinese. Should I call (the police)?” one driver messaged his peers. “How do Read More…
WING — After 10 years in education, Wing Public School District Superintendent David Goetz began to notice a trend. Students and teachers would begin the school year in August feeling refreshed and motivated to learn. But by the end of the school year, everyone felt burned out, and it was a slog to get through Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. — A Tyler, Texas resident is reportedly deceased, after leaping from a moving vehicle, while leading Highway Patrol troopers on a pursuit. According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, on Friday, February 21st, 2020 Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers were notified of a suspected drunk driver in the area of Sheridan, Wyoming. Troopers report that Read More…
Bozeman’s crime rate is the lowest in Montana when compared to other cities similar in size. Bozeman Police Chief Steve Crawford rapped his knuckles on his wooden desk several times when talking about the city’s low crime rate. “I knock on wood and don’t want to jinx it, right?” Crawford said. READ FULL Read More…
GREAT FALLS — Two military veterans were honored on Friday in separate ceremonies – one in Great Falls and the other in Conrad. This is all part of the Montana Congressional Veteran Commendation, recognizing outstanding Montana veterans who have honorably served both country and community. At the VFW Post 1087 in Great Falls, U.S. Representative Read More…
The city of Whitefish has been approved for three State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans worth a combined $20.1 million to upgrade its wastewater treatment technology and meet more stringent standards for treating ammonia and other nutrients. The city’s wastewater collection and treatment system has over 58 miles of sewer main and 16 lift stations, portions Read More…
CHULA VISTA — A pregnant Guatemalan woman, arrested on suspicion of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization on Sunday, gave birth about a half-hour later in a Border Patrol station in Chula Vista, authorities said. The 27-year-old woman was spotted walking with a man and two children about a mile east of the Otay Mesa Port of Read More…
Bethenny Frankel is returning to her reality TV roots with a competition series at HBO Max. The Skinnygirl founder and former Real Housewives of New York City star will front an eight-episode series called The Big Shot With Bethenny, in which aspiring business moguls compete for a job on Frankel’s executive team. The Apprentice-like show hails from MGM TV, Read More…