BOISE, Idaho—Two Idaho nonprofit organizations say voting laws enacted in 2023 have made it more difficult for eligible residents to register and cast ballots, while Secretary of State Phil McGrane maintains that voters have multiple ways to meet the state’s identification and residency requirements. Babe Vote and the League of Women Voters of Idaho, two Read More…
WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy praised President Donald Trump’s announcement of plans to establish a next-generation military training range in Montana, describing the project as an investment in modernizing the nation’s defense capabilities. The proposed facility would support integrated military exercises and testing involving emerging technologies, including electronic warfare, hypersonic weapons, space systems and advanced targeting Read More…
(The Center Square) – A bipartisan bill has been filed in the U.S. Senate to target cartel trafficking in the U.S. The Enhancing Southbound Inspections to Combat Cartels Act was filed to increase inspections of traffic heading south to Mexico through any U.S. state to combat the flow of illicit firearms and money that fuel drug Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont.—The Billings City Council has approved the sale of Lampman Park to a private developer for $834,000, clearing the way for a proposed residential development that would bring 81 housing units to the six-acre property. The park, located south of Monad Road between South 30th and South 31st streets, is currently designated as parkland. Read More…
WASHINGTON—The Trump administration is warning that immigration and spending proposals backed by the Democratic Socialists of America could impose substantial costs on federal taxpayers, citing a new White House economic report that estimates the broader policy agenda would add approximately $49 trillion to federal deficits over the next decade. The Council of Economic Advisers released Read More…
BOISE, Idaho—Two Idaho nonprofit organizations say voting laws enacted in 2023 have made it more difficult for eligible residents to register and cast ballots, while Secretary of State Phil McGrane maintains that voters have multiple ways to meet the state’s identification and residency requirements. Babe Vote and the League of Women Voters of Idaho, two Read More…
WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy praised President Donald Trump’s announcement of plans to establish a next-generation military training range in Montana, describing the project as an investment in modernizing the nation’s defense capabilities. The proposed facility would support integrated military exercises and testing involving emerging technologies, including electronic warfare, hypersonic weapons, space systems and advanced targeting Read More…
(The Center Square) – A bipartisan bill has been filed in the U.S. Senate to target cartel trafficking in the U.S. The Enhancing Southbound Inspections to Combat Cartels Act was filed to increase inspections of traffic heading south to Mexico through any U.S. state to combat the flow of illicit firearms and money that fuel drug Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont.—The Billings City Council has approved the sale of Lampman Park to a private developer for $834,000, clearing the way for a proposed residential development that would bring 81 housing units to the six-acre property. The park, located south of Monad Road between South 30th and South 31st streets, is currently designated as parkland. Read More…
RIVERTON, Wyo.—Candidates for Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat discussed federal spending, Social Security and immigration enforcement during a Wyoming PBS debate, while Republican nominee Chuck Gray declined an invitation to participate. Democrat Lisa Kinney, Libertarian Shawn Johnson and Constitution Party candidate Jeff Haggit participated in the forum, outlining their priorities for Congress and discussing how Read More…
(The Center Square) – Inflation ranks among the top three issues for 46% of registered voters, a nine-point climb since March, while the national debt and government spending sit near the bottom at 13%. Voters put the debt near the bottom in a year the federal government ran a $2 trillion deficit, $218 billion more Read More…
PIERRE, S.D.—Voters in four South Dakota counties will decide in November whether to impose new local sales taxes intended to reduce property taxes on owner-occupied homes. Brown and Codington counties will vote on half-percent county sales taxes during the Nov. 3 general election, while Clay and Charles Mix counties are scheduled to hold special elections Read More…
Montana U.S. Senate candidate Seth Bodnar appears to have a substantially higher net worth than Republican rival Kurt Alme, according to financial disclosure reports filed with the U.S. Senate. An analysis of the candidates’ disclosures estimates Bodnar and his wife have a net worth ranging from approximately $4.9 million to $13 million, compared with roughly Read More…
BOISE, Idaho—Idaho General Fund revenue exceeded the state’s forecast by $90.3 million during the first quarter of fiscal year 2027, finishing 6.8% above projections. September revenue alone came in $39 million above forecast, with individual income tax collections accounting for much of the strength. Individual income tax revenue is running 18.3% above forecast year to Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo.—Wyoming voters will decide Proposition 1, a citizen-initiated property-tax measure that would exempt 50% of the assessed value of a qualifying primary residence’s dwelling from property taxes. The proposal would apply to the home itself, but not the land. Eligibility generally requires that the homeowner be a Wyoming resident and use the property as Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D.—Two major pipeline disputes moved forward in North Dakota this week, with a state judge ruling that local zoning rules are not automatically overridden by state pipeline-siting authority and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filing a new federal lawsuit seeking to halt the Dakota Access Pipeline. In the first case, South Central District Court Read More…
HELENA—Montana’s formally nonpartisan Supreme Court race is developing a clear ideological divide, with liberal advocacy groups, liberal-leaning current and former Montana Supreme Court justices and district judges lining up behind District Judge Amy Eddy, while conservative organizations, Republican officials and GOP committees are supporting District Judge Dan Wilson. Eddy and Wilson, both judges in Montana’s Read More…
HELENA—The race for Montana’s open U.S. Senate seat is giving voters four distinct choices, with Republican Kurt Alme, independent Seth Bodnar, Democrat Alani Bankhead and Libertarian Kyle Austin competing to replace retiring Sen. Steve Daines. Alme, 59, has made his Montana roots and long record in state and federal public service central to his campaign. Read More…
BOZEMAN—Republican Aaron Flint and Democrat Sam Forstag traded attacks and outlined sharply different approaches to affordability, energy and economic development during their first televised debate in Montana’s Western Congressional District race. The two candidates met Thursday in Bozeman for a 30-minute forum hosted by the Montana Television Network and moderated by senior political reporter Jonathon Read More…
The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll (The Center Square) – A majority of American voters are concerned with socialist candidates running and possibly winning political office, according to a new poll. The Center Square Voters’ Voice poll found that 55% of American voters are concerned about Democratic Socialist candidates running for and winning elected office Read More…
KALISPELL—President Donald Trump is returning to Montana next week for a campaign rally in Kalispell as Republicans look to boost congressional candidate Aaron Flint in the race for Montana’s Western Congressional District. Trump is scheduled to appear Wednesday at the Majestic Valley Arena, where he will campaign alongside Flint, the Republican nominee seeking to succeed Read More…
PIERRE, S.D.—Gov. Larry Rhoden has appointed Kellen B. Willert to serve as a circuit judge in South Dakota’s Fourth Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the departure of Judge John Fitzgerald. Willert brings experience in private practice, municipal law, estate planning, complex litigation and military law. He graduated cum laude from South Dakota State Read More…
KALISPELL—Republican congressional candidate Aaron Flint has released a new general-election advertisement focused on public safety, fentanyl and border security, featuring Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer. In the ad, Springer endorses Flint and says the Republican candidate would support stronger enforcement against fentanyl trafficking and tighter border security. “Lieutenant Colonel Flint will crack down on fentanyl Read More…
(The Center Square) – Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya are neck and neck in the most-recent polling of Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race. Flanagan, a Democrat, leads Tafoya 44.8% to 43.3%, according to the average of the four most-recent polls compiled by 270toWin. There is a wider gap in the Minnesota gubernatorial Read More…
WHITEFISH—Republican congressional nominee Aaron Flint and Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino joined local residents in Whitefish on Friday for a rally supporting Border Patrol and local law enforcement, while Flint used the event to criticize Democratic opponent Sam Forstag’s lobbying record on immigration and criminal-justice issues. The gathering drew roughly 40 people near the Whitefish Read More…
WASHINGTON—Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy is calling for greater congressional scrutiny of former special counsel Jack Smith as lawmakers consider changes to the rules governing secret government demands for private records. Sheehy’s comments follow disclosures from the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation of Arctic Frost, the federal inquiry that ultimately became part of Smith’s investigation of President Read More…
MINNEAPOLIS—A federal grand jury has indicted 10 foreign nationals in separate voter-fraud cases involving Minnesota elections in 2022, 2024 and 2026, the Justice Department said. The defendants were indicted Sept. 24 and have since made initial appearances in federal court. Prosecutors allege the cases involve unlawful voting by noncitizens and false claims of U.S. citizenship Read More…
MINOT, N.D.—Gov. Kelly Armstrong has appointed Minot attorney Christene Reierson to an open judgeship in North Dakota’s North Central Judicial District, effective Nov. 16. Reierson has operated Reierson Law Office P.C. in Minot as a solo practitioner since 2015, handling matters including family law, criminal law, probate, civil litigation, business formation, real estate transactions, estate Read More…
MISSOULA—Republican congressional nominee Aaron Flint unveiled a tax-relief proposal in Missoula this week while seeking to make Democratic opponent Sam Forstag’s past lobbying work a central issue in Montana’s 1st Congressional District race. Flint’s proposal calls for making permanent federal tax breaks on tips and overtime, eliminating federal taxes on military pensions, ending the estate Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s U.S. Senate race is entering its final stretch with millions of dollars in outside spending, a dispute over a television advertisement targeting Republican Kurt Alme and growing scrutiny of independent candidate Seth Bodnar’s record leading the University of Montana. The four-way contest to replace retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines includes Alme, Read More…
A coalition of 15 Republican state attorneys general is urging congressional leaders to preserve language in the Protect College Sports Act of 2026 that they say protects state authority over eligibility rules for women’s college sports. The attorneys general sent a Sept. 23 letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson Read More…
WASHINGTON — Legislation updating the Crow Tribe’s water-rights settlement has cleared Congress and is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk. The Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Steve Daines and backed in the House by Rep. Troy Downing, passed the Senate after clearing the House last week. The Read More…
Leadership in Action, a political action committee whose honorary chairman is Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, has launched a new advertisement targeting Democratic congressional candidate Sam Forstag over his previous lobbying work in Helena. The ad, titled “The Other Resume,” argues that Forstag’s campaign emphasis on his background as a smokejumper and wildland firefighter leaves Read More…
(The Center Square) — Democratic hopes of taking control of the U.S. Senate in the upcoming midterm elections are heavily dependent on retaining an open seat in Michigan. The race features a charismatic and energetic though controversial liberal Democrat — and also the first Muslim nominated by a major party for the post — against Read More…
A federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama has ordered the release of 24 people held by federal immigration authorities in Cascade County, concluding that the government failed to follow required procedures governing warrantless immigration arrests and detention. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris issued the order Friday as part of an ongoing class-action Read More…
Sen. Tim Sheehy’s Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act advanced out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bill, co-led by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is intended to give air traffic controllers additional tools and training to keep American airspace safe. It now heads to the full Senate for consideration. “America has Read More…
Prescription drug prices posted their sharpest annual decline in more than 60 years in 2026, according to federal data, as the Trump administration extended its Most Favored Nation pricing policy to every state Medicaid program in the country. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the steepest drop in prescription drug prices since 1963, with prices Read More…
Democrat Sam Forstag’s effort to emphasize his working-class background is drawing fresh scrutiny from Republican Aaron Flint’s campaign, which is highlighting Forstag’s years of lobbying and LGBTQ advocacy work in Helena. Forstag recently released an advertisement claiming that he earned $16 an hour as a smokejumper. Flint’s campaign responded by releasing lobbying records it says Read More…
(Legal Newsline) – The Idaho Supreme Court has agreed with a pro-choice group that the ballot summary of an abortion measure set for a November vote is worded poorly and has ordered the State to find another way to describe its terms. The ruling last week concerns Proposition One, also known as the Reproductive Freedom Read More…
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong has signed legislation banning synthetic kratom products while restricting the sale of natural kratom to people 21 and older, replacing a temporary statewide prohibition imposed earlier this summer. House Bill 1628 cleared the Legislature during a three-day special session and creates a new regulatory framework for kratom products sold in Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Rep. Ryan Zinke announced the introduction of the A River Runs Through It Act, a locally developed public lands package bringing together more than two decades of work by communities throughout the Blackfoot and Clearwater valleys. Zinke unveiled the legislation at Smoke Elzer Barn in Missoula alongside local elected officials, members of Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte joined Mountain States Policy Center at a press conference at the Montana State Capitol on Tuesday to announce the “Flat. Fair. Montana.” campaign, a statewide initiative promoting a flat individual income tax rate of 4.7 percent. The campaign is a project of MSPC focused on making Montana’s income tax system simpler, more Read More…
Republican congressional candidate Aaron Flint is using his first two general-election advertisements to emphasize his working-class upbringing, military service and support for skilled-trades education as he campaigns for Montana’s 1st Congressional District. Flint’s newest ad features his mother, Karen, recounting how she raised him as a single parent while working two jobs. She says Flint Read More…
Sen. Steve Daines spoke at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing Wednesday, discussing legislation aimed at bringing clean drinking water to eastern Montana and reforming the federal hydropower licensing process. On the Dry Redwater Regional Water Authorization Act Daines outlined his bill authorizing construction of critical water systems in eastern Montana. He noted Read More…