Montana Public Service Commissioner Brad Molnar will remain unable to work from the PSC’s offices in Helena for now, after a federal judge denied his request for an order allowing him back into the building. The ruling means the commissioner, who represents Billings and much of south-central Montana, will continue participating in the regulatory body’s Read More…
The Department of War’s Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy announced the launch of an interactive public website tracking the department’s investments in domestic and allied supply chains, mapping more than $6.7 billion in Defense Production Act and Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment funding made since 2015. The Investment Intelligence Read More…
Appointees offer insight on community banking, regional economy, including one from Montana Three community bank executives were appointed this spring to an advisory council by Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President and CEO Neel Kashkari. The Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council provides information, advice and recommendations to the Minneapolis Fed president from the perspective of Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led a coalition of 23 state attorneys general in urging the U.S. Senate to confirm Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as the next attorney general of the United States. In a letter sent to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, Ranking Member Richard Durbin and other committee members, Knudsen urged Read More…
Brooke Lynn Crews has pleaded guilty to the murder of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind. Crews pleaded guilty in Cass County court Monday to charges of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and providing false information to police. Crews is one of two defendants accused of killing 22-year-old LaFontaine-Greywind and abducting her newborn daughter in August. Read More…
The State Department says President Donald Trump’s travel ban on citizens of six mainly Muslim countries, North Korea and Venezuela is now fully operational. The announcement follows the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this week to allow enforcement of the ban as it is challenged in lower courts. The department said it began fully implementing the Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. – The following is a press release from the Montana National Guard: Fifty-four Montana wildland firefighters and 16 wildland engines are headed to California to assist in firefighting efforts. The state of Montana received a request from the California Office of Emergency Services Tuesday afternoon to provide critically needed firefighting resources to support Read More…
It’s hard to miss Wheat Montana’s giant silos outside Three Forks, but now with their partnership with Walmart, you’re going to see their sign a whole lot more. The Montana-based company was chosen by the superstore to be part of a tour that has committed Walmart to purchase an additional $250 billion in American-made products. Read More…
Five men are facing charges in federal court related to two outfitted mountain lion hunts in 2013 near White Sulphur Springs and Wolf Creek that authorities allege were illegal. Charged in U.S. District Court are Ernest Jablonsky, a licensed outfitter with Montana Big Game Pursuits; Mitch Theule, a guide with Montana Big Game Pursuits; James Read More…
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders visited Malmstrom Air Force Base recently to spend time with airmen and families of deployed service members as part of their 82nd USO tour. The cheerleaders met with airmen and had lunch with family members of deployed airmen to enhance morale and welfare and show appreciation for their service. READ THE Read More…
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks and Trout Unlimited are offering a reward of up to $35,250 for information on illegally introduced fish in Swan Lake. According to a Facebook post from FWP’s Region 6 Office, two walleye were found in Swan Lake in October 2015. The two walleye were caught in a gill Read More…
Airbnb has a scary problem on their hands: People keep finding hidden cameras in their rental homes. Another host was busted last month trying to film guests without their knowledge — marking the second time since October that the company has had to publicly deal with this sort of incident. Officials have been forced to Read More…
HELENA- Montana Attorney General Tim Fox announced Dec. 4 a consumer protection lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, which manufactures opioid medication Oxycontin. Fox’s office claims that Purdue should be held partly responsible for the prescription opioid epidemic. In a press release, Fox said: “As our investigation revealed and our complaint alleges, for years, Purdue knew the Read More…
Northwest Montana’s county commissioners want to see more fire-scorched timber salvaged from Lolo National Forest. The Forest Service is racing to complete the assessments, environmental reviews and public review processes required for area salvage operations to proceed. If timber isn’t cut within one year of a wildfire, weather and insect damage can render it useless. Read More…
ABC news reporter Brian Ross has been suspended over his erroneous story about Michael Flynn. The network tweeted an apology on Saturday for what it called a serious error. Ross reported on Friday that Flynn was preparing to testify that President Trump told him to contact Russians. The reporter quoted a single anonymous source and Read More…
Special Olympics Montana has canceled the 2018 State Winter Games in Whitefish, a move that leadership says is part of its attempt to revamp the way the organization serves athletes, coaches and volunteers across the state. The games were scheduled to run from March 4-6 at Whitefish Mountain Resort. According to Bob Norbie, president and Read More…
Montana saw an increase in November in the number of sexual harassment complaints filed such as those that have toppled the great and near great across America, but a state official hesitates to say if it is reflecting the national trend. In 2017, Montana has seen 25 sexual harassment complaints, said Tim Little, attorney for Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Fewer North Dakotans are reporting seven-figure incomes due to a prolonged slump in agriculture and energy prices, the state’s tax commissioner says. Figures released to The Associated Press show 686 people reported incomes of more than $1 million on their 2016 individual tax returns, a drop of nearly 40 percent from Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. – In a highly anticipated announcement, The University of Montana is officially naming Bobby Hauck the 37th head football coach for the Grizzlies. Director of Athletics Kent Haslam will formally reintroduce the returning coach in the Washington-Grizzly Stadium Canyon Club this morning at 10:30 a.m. READ THE FULL STORY.
The Montana State Fund’s board of directors has decided to withdraw a lawsuit seeking to stop the state from putting a $30 million charge on some of the fund’s investment holdings. During an emergency meeting Wednesday afternoon, the board voted 5-2 to pull out of the lawsuit, filed earlier this month in district court in Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wy.(KGWN)- The Wyoming Business Council has officially launched Grown in Wyoming, a program designed to open new markets for Wyoming farmers and ranchers and expand local food options for consumers. Grown in Wyoming promotes all types of agriculture, food and fiber raised and produced in the state. The program connects farmers and ranchers with Read More…
A new study is warning mouthwash users to take it easy on the commonly used dental hygiene routine. Researchers at Harvard say using mouthwash products more than once a day can greatly increase your risk of developing diabetes. Professor Kamudi Joshipura of Harvard’s School of Public Health says the fresh-tasting cleaners kill both harmful and helpful Read More…
North Korea launched the missile at around 3am local time (6pm GMT) yesterday, sparking a furious response from Seoul. Within minutes of North Korea’s ICBM launch, South Korea had fired its own missile launch in retaliation. The North Korean missile was fired eastwards from the hermit state. The missile landed about 210km west of Japan’s Kyurokujima Read More…
The lawyer for President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn met Monday morning with members of special counsel Robert Mueller’s team — the latest indication that both sides are discussing a possible plea deal, ABC News has learned. Trump’s legal team confirmed late last week that Flynn’s attorney Robert Kelner alerted the Read More…
MISSOULA — Montana officials are working on determining how much timber burned in summer wildfires at Lolo National Forest is salvageable. The Missoulian reports nearly 10 percent of the 3,125-square mile (8094-sq. kilometer) national forest in western Montana was burnt. Lolo National Forest Supervisor Timothy Garcia says based on their Forest Plan allocations and past experience with Read More…
The so-called corruption crackdown in Saudi Arabia over the weekend may be the beginning of a bigger power struggle by the heir apparent to the throne which destabilizes the region for a time and keeps oil prices elevated . Following the creation of an anti-corruption committee by current King Salman, security forces Saturday swept up Read More…
(HELENA) Montana state leaders paid their last respects Friday morning to former Governor Judy Martz, the state’s first female governor. Montana Highway Patrol troopers and Butte-Silver Bow police escorted Martz’s family from Butte to Helena. When they arrived at the Montana State Capitol, Gov. Steve Bullock, Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney, Attorney General Tim Fox and other Read More…
The number of private-sector jobs created in October rose more than expected, with construction jobs surging in the wake of destructive hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The ADP National Employment showed private-sector businesses added 235,000 jobs in the month. ADP was expected to show private employers added 200,000 jobs in October, up from 135,000 in September. Read More…
SHERIDAN — A Sheridan, Wyo., couple was excited to learn they were pregnant earlier this year. But after they received their first ultrasound, they were stunned. “We went in and the doctor scanned and got a serious look on his face and went, ‘Oh, there are twins,” Dustin Olsen said. “And we’re like, ‘OK, that’s OK.’ Then Read More…
HELENA – Judy Martz, the first and only woman to serve as Montana’s governor, has died at age 74. Martz, who had pancreatic cancer, died in Monday morning at her home in Rocker, west of Butte. A Republican from the Democratic stronghold of Butte, Martz served a single term as governor, from 2001-2004. READ THE Read More…
HELENA – Montana officials have decided to decommission all but one of the state’s old airway beacons that pilots used to rely on to find their way at night. More than 1,500 airway beacons used to dot the landscape nationwide but modern navigation equipment made them obsolete. Federal officials began decommissioning the beacons in the Read More…
Puerto Rico’s power authority is working to cancel a controversial contract it awarded to a small Montana-based utility company. Ricardo Ramos, the CEO of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, said he is “asking for a resolution” that would allow for the cancellation of the contract with Whitefish Energy. The $300 million deal with the two-year-old Read More…
MISSOULA – A Missoula man who won a 14-year fight to erase a rape conviction was freed from jail last week and will spend another 200-plus days under state supervision, for a probation violation – but then he’ll be an entirely free man. A state judge last Thursday placed Cody Marble on conditional release for Read More…
Columbia Falls Aluminum Company has reimbursed the federal government for some of the costs of investigating its former Columbia Falls plant. The aluminum mill was permanently closed in 2015 and declared a Superfund site last year. The company is currently investigating the site under the Environmental Protection Agency’s oversight and direction. In its Agreement on Read More…
The University of Providence continues with President Tony Aretz’s big, bold and fast mission to reinvent itself with three new construction projects. Thanks to a $25 million investment from the school’s partner Providence St. Joseph Health, work on a new University Center, wrestling facility and updates to the Student Union could begin as early as November. Read More…
Both President and Mrs. Trump both spoke on Thursday about the epidemic of opiod drugs in the U.S,, however Montana Attorney General Tim Fox also emphasized the challenge of both alcohol and methamphetamine. “Attorney General Fox appreciated the president’s announcement of a state of emergency over the opiod epidemic,” said. spokesman Eric Sell. “It’s important Read More…
On Thursday afternoon, Kathleen Williams announced that she will be running as a Democrat for Montana’s lone House seat. Williams is the fifth Democrat to enter the race. She is a former state legislator and said she believes her experience in Helena will help her in Washington, D.C. Dorothy Bradley, another former state legislator, and Read More…
According to the Legislative Fiscal Division, the 2017 wildfire season is expected to cost the state $74.2 million as wildfires burned nearly 1.3 million acres. During the 2017 Legislative session, lawmakers budgeted $32.3 million to fight fires for the fiscal years 2018 and 2019. This year’s fire burned through that entire amount as well as Read More…
CHEYENNE – Wyoming’s latest revenue forecast is better than it’s been in the last two years, but there’s still a long way to go before the state returns to levels preceding the latest economic downturn. The Consensus Revenue Estimating Group, or CREG, puts out reports in October and January each year so Wyoming policymakers have Read More…
Majorities in many ethnic, identity and racial groups in America believe that discrimination exists against their own group, across many areas of people’s daily lives, according to a poll from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The poll asked a wide range of questions about where Read More…
Montana marijuana providers appear to be moving a little slower than normal when it comes to following the law. According to Mary Anne Dunwell from the Montana Department of Revenue, taxes for the months since July were due on October 15th and so far, some payments are quite high. “It’s about $7.5 million in provider Read More…
An initiative launched by all five living former presidents has raised $31 million for hurricane relief from 80,000 donors. The One America Appeal initiative, launched Sept. 7 in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in Florida, has distributed nearly $13 million to the Florida Disaster Fund, Rebuild Texas Fund, the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, Juntos y Read More…
Filings for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level since 1973 as workers affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma continued to return to their jobs, Labor Department figures showed Thursday. Highlights of Jobless Claims (Week ended Oct. 14) Jobless claims decreased by 22k to 222k (est. 240k), the lowest since March 1973 Period Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. – The Burke County Sheriff’s Office logged a high-profile arrest. Singer Melissa Etheridge was charged with possession of a controlled substance after her tour bus was searched while attempting to enter the United States from Canada at the Port of Entry. Burke County authorities said they were conducting K9 searches at the Port of Entry when Read More…