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…
NEW YORK — The man killed in a blaze at New York City’s Trump Tower was an art collector who spent time with Andy Warhol, but fell on hard financial times in recent years and went through bankruptcy proceedings. Todd Brassner, 67, died on Saturday at a hospital after a fire tore through his 50th-floor Read More…
An independent nonprofit research group says Montana is losing its open space. Headwaters Economics analyzed home construction for the state and laid out the numbers from county to county from 1990 to 2016 in a study titled Montana Losing Open Space. During that period, the study said the number of single-family homes in the state Read More…
CHEYENNE – A Trombone Shorty show isn’t really a place to sit still. The New Orleans phenom floods the room with an ecstatic blend of jazz, hip hop and funk – a portable Bourbon Street party. And that’s what Amy Spieker, 31, had come to the Cheyenne Civic Center excited for Jan. 27 after her Read More…
The number of grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is estimated to be up from the 2016 count. The report from the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study team was delivered in Cody Wednesday. In 2017, the first year that Yellowstone area grizzlies were removed from the endangered species list, scientists estimate there were 718 grizzlies in Read More…
In 2016, students from the Natural History Museum at Kansas University found a relatively small dinosaur pelvis in the Hell Creek formation in Montana. It was the end of their dig season and they didn’t have the time to unearth the rest of the remains. But the fossil was worth the wait; when they returned Read More…
U.S. consumer sentiment slipped slightly at the end of March, after shooting up in the mid-month preliminary report, but still recorded its highest level since 2004. The University of Michigan’s report showed consumer attitudes about the economy inched down to a reading of 101.4 at the end of March. Reuters economists expected the reading to Read More…
A science room at Jackson Hole Middle School is scheduled for a summer makeover, thanks to a $67,000 grant. Teton County School District No. 1’s middle school has been announced as one of 16 recipients of the Steelcase Education’s Active Learning Center Grant program, which “supports active learning strategies by installing a learning space with Read More…
The future of Powder River Basin coal lies overseas, something EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt stressed during a Thursday morning visit to the heart of Wyoming coal country. As the guest of U.S. Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, both Wyoming Republicans, Pruitt toured Arch Coal’s Black Thunder mine south of Wright, the second-largest producing thermal Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court ruled this week the Southwest Montana Building Industry Association must return $200,000 to the city left over from an old lawsuit settlement around impact fees. The March 27 ruling upholds an order made in Gallatin County District Court. “We’re disappointed,” said SWMBIA attorney Art Wittich. “That money was supposed to be Read More…
A rumbling fleet of snowplows and excavators began the daunting task of clearing Glacier National Park’s roads last week, forging through a winter’s worth of snow and heralding springtime in Northwest Montana as the park prepares its iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road for the summer frenzy. On the east side, crews are plowing the Two Medicine Road Read More…
Since 2017, the Montana Veterans Meat Locker has distributed over 8,000 pounds of meat to over 600 veterans and their families. This is a non-employed, all-volunteer organization so our only cost is the processing fees,” said Chris Grudzinski, founder of Veterans Meat Locker. “We have great ranchers and farmers and hunters who have donated these Read More…
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket streaked away from California early Friday, boosting the fifth set of 10 Iridium NEXT relay stations into orbit, the latest step in the satellite telephone provider’s push to complete a globe-spanning constellation of next-generation spacecraft. Perched atop pad 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles, the Falcon Read More…
Denise Juneau is one of three finalists to be the next superintendent of schools in Seattle. There are some 53,000 students in the Seattle schools, and this number includes Huchoosedah, the school district’s Indian education program, designed to close opportunity gaps and deliver excellence to every student. Juneau, a citizen of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Read More…
The sale of Avista Corp. to a Canadian utility passed a major milestone Tuesday when the parties outlined conditions in a proposed agreement with Washington regulators. After the $5.3 billion sale, Avista would operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hydro One Ltd. of Toronto. Hydro One has agreed to keep Avista’s headquarters in Spokane, retain Read More…
HELENA – A Lewis & Clark County District Court Judge says author Jon Krakauer should be given access to university documents concerning a high-profile rape case on the University of Montana campus five years ago. However, the judge ruled that Krakauer will only receive a redacted version of those documents, protecting the identity of the Read More…
DOUGLAS — Even after the Wyoming Legislature agreed to make major changes to the Wyoming State Fair and basically restore its funding levels, the 2018 fair this August has been cut down to four days to save money. Citing a reduced current budget (which ends in June) and having to make decisions based on the Read More…
Workers in Idaho are leading the nation in earnings growth, thanks in part to a buoyant job market and pockets of labor shortages that are putting upward pressure on wages. In 2017, Idaho workers boasted a 5.3% increase in earnings—mostly comprised of annual wages and salaries—compared with the 2016 calendar year, according to the Commerce Read More…
Just more than a week after tiny Los Alamitos voted to defy California’s law protecting immigrants in the country illegally, Orange County is poised to become a counterpoint against the state’s resistance to the Trump administration’s policies. On Tuesday, Orange County supervisors may consider whether to take up a resolution to condemn and possibly take Read More…
Whitefish Mountain Resort broke its record for skier visits in a single season on Sunday, nearly two weeks before the season ends. Resort officials estimate skier visits so far this year will eclipse 350,000 before this weekend. The previous record of 346,859 total skier visits was set last season. Resort spokeswoman Riley Polumbus said these Read More…
GREAT FALLS – A federal judge has put the brakes on coal expansion in the Powder River Basin, ruling that the federal government must find an alternative to a plan that could have opened 15 million acres for development. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris of Great Falls ruled Friday that the Bureau of Land Management Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Former New York Giants linebacker and Montana State star Corey Widmer has declined his nomination to the Montana Football Hall of Fame, saying the sport “destroyed my life.” Widmer said after numerous concussions he fears he suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease. He has depression and memory problems, suffers Read More…
Helena Public Schools leaders called Wednesday a day to remember, as they kicked off the district’s biggest building project in decades. They held groundbreaking ceremonies for three new school buildings, at Bryant, Central and Jim Darcy Elementary. The new construction was made possible by a $63 million bond, approved by district voters last year. “This Read More…
While not definitively saying yes, Mark Zuckerberg says he’s “open” to testifying before members of Congress regarding Facebook’s recent privacy scandal involving Cambridge Analytica. The data firm, which worked for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign before the 2016 election, is now embroiled in an ongoing controversy about how it collected user data from the social networking Read More…
Pondera County Sheriff Carl Suta has agreed to resign from his position, following months of legal battles. Two misdemeanor charges against Suta were resolved without trial recently. On Friday, March 16, Suta pleaded no contest to one charge of partner/family member assault, and also agreed to a deferred prosecution on a charge of official misconduct. Read More…
MISSOULA–University of Montana president Seth Bodnar says he’s restructuring the university’s administration to put a greater emphasis on enrollment and student success. Bodnar said Monday he plans to combine the communications, admissions and financial aid offices. Communications director Paul Short will oversee the combined office until a vice president of communications, outreach and enrollment is Read More…
Landowners east of Cheyenne say a major oil and gas firm is developing a monopoly in their county, and they have asked state regulators to put a stop to it by denying thousands of permits to drill proposed by Anadarko Petroleum. Anadarko tried to have the protests dismissed by the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Read More…
On Wednesday, many Missoula County Departments will be discussing the impact of recent budget cuts on their ability to serve the public. County Attorney Kirsten Pabst says she will be discussing at least two major set-backs. “Our trial expenses, the program that used to reimburse us for expert witnesses, transcripts, witness fees and things like Read More…
The Forest Service will be receiving a property tax bill from Mineral County this year. County Commissioners Laurie Johnston, Roman Zylawy and Duane Simons signed the letter March 9 requesting property tax revenue for 2017. The “historic letter” as defined by Rep. Denley Loge, describes the plight Mineral County is facing as options to fund Read More…
A Montana chef competes in an upcoming episode of “Guy’s Grocery Games.” Bob Marshall, longtime chef and owner of Biga Pizza. competed in the Pizza Play-offs. The episode airs Wed., March 21 at 10 PM Mountain Standard Time. Guy’s Grocery Games launched in 2013 as a sequel to Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. READ THE FULL Read More…
MISSOULA – Filmmakers are looking for Montanans to play roles in a feature about Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. Actor Sharlto Copley, who’s appeared in District 9, Elysium and Maleficent, is set to star. The film is written and directed by Tony Stone. Hopeful actors gathered at the Missoula Community Theater Sunday, eager to snag one Read More…
BlackBerry smartphones have secure messaging as a matter of course, but for some that isn’t enough: there are custom models that are even more secure thanks to PGP-encrypted mail. However, it seems that these locked down models aren’t quite as safe as you’d think. The Netherlands Forensic Institute has confirmed a recent report that it’s Read More…
The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Transportation Security Administration over its alleged practices of searching the electronic devices of passengers traveling on domestic flights. “The federal government’s policies on searching the phones, laptops, and tablets of domestic air passengers remain shrouded in secrecy,” Read More…
All five passengers aboard a helicopter that crashed into Manhattan’s East River Sunday night have died, authorities said. The red Eurocopter AS350, which officials said was operated by Liberty Helicopters and had been privately chartered for a photo shoot, apparently had engine failure. The pilot — who repeatedly radioed “May day! May day! and reported Read More…
HELENA — The Montana State Fund board voted unanimously Friday to reduce workers’ compensation rates an average of 8 percent, marking the 12th year the rates have remained flat or gone down and representing a 52 percent decline since 2006. Montana State Fund is the state’s largest workers’ compensation provider and insures 25,000 businesses and Read More…
The United States has yet to hear from North Korea after President Donald Trump accepted an invitation to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Monday. “We have not heard anything directly back from North Korea, although we do expect to hear something directly from them,” Read More…
ASMSU Student President is stepping up and taking action. Kylar Clifton is hoping to get a medical amnesty policy. By doing this, he hopes students will come forward if someone has taken a dangerous amount of alcohol or drugs. To break it down, if a student sees someone who is in need of serious help Read More…
Montana made the bracket. The University of Montana Grizzlies made it into the NCAA March Madness tournament, according to the brackets posted by NCAA March Madness on Facebook Sunday. The Griz will face off against The University of Michigan in the opening round played in Wichita, Kansas. READ THE FULL STORY.
HELENA – The Montana Department of Environmental Quality says it needs more time to produce the draft environmental impact statement for a proposed copper mine in Central Montana. Sandfire Resources America, the company previously known as Tintina Resources, has proposed the development of the Black Butte Copper Project near White Sulphur Springs. According to Montana Read More…
LARAMIE, Wyo – Wyoming’s stature among energy-producing states in the U.S. is a lofty one, and a new course within the University of Wyoming’s Summer High School Institute (HSI) will help students understand why that is important. Tawfik Elshehabi, a UW Department of Petroleum Engineering associate lecturer, will present “Wyoming Energy 4 You” during the Read More…
Former Chippewa Cree Tribal Chairman Kenneth Blatt St. Marks was arrested Wednesday by Hill County deputies for violating an order of protection filed by his ex-wife, Thursday’s Hill County Sheriff’s dispatch log says. Karen St. Marks, ex-wife of Kenneth St. Marks, called the deputies at 4:13 p.m Wednesday and he was arrested on Highway 87, Read More…