On the steps of the Montana State Capitol, Governor Greg Gianforte was officially sworn in Monday for his second term as the 25th Governor of Montana. Accompanied by his wife, First Lady Susan Gianforte, the ceremony marked a historic milestone, as Gianforte became the first Republican governor to secure a second term since 1996. Chief Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines has announced his committee assignments for the 119th Congress, taking on influential roles in the Senate Committees on Finance, Foreign Relations, Energy and Natural Resources, and Indian Affairs. These assignments place Daines at the center of critical policy discussions affecting Montana and the nation. “It’s an honor to serve Montanans in Read More…
Kenneth Britton “Britt” Cotter, 48, who was recently elected District Court Judge for Lake and Sanders counties, has been charged with one count of solicitation to commit criminal distribution of dangerous drugs and two counts of attempted criminal possession of dangerous drugs. The Montana Attorney General’s Office announced the charges following a months-long investigation led Read More…
Congressman Ryan Zinke announced that the Senate has passed the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act. The EXPLORE Act is a comprehensive, bicameral legislation package that includes Zinke’s bipartisan Gateway Communities and Recreation Enhancement Act introduced with Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola in May 2023. The bill passed the House in April and will Read More…
Shortly before civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis died, he wrote an opinion piece that encouraged youth to “let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.” The piece was published in The New York Times on Thursday, the same day as the lawmaker’s funeral. Lewis died on July 17. He wrote that Read More…
Herman Cain — the maverick American business czar and Republican presidential candidate who campaigned for a sweeping tax reform plan called 9-9-9 — died Thursday morning after a monthlong battle with the coronavirus. He was 74. Cain, who recently joined Newsmax TV and was set to launch a weekly show, died in an Atlanta-area hospital Read More…
The Lincoln Project, a GOP anti-Trump group, on Wednesday launched a $4 million ad buy targeting Senate contests in Maine, Alaska and Montana. The buy, which was first reported by Axios, will air for seven to 10 days in key markets in the three states. The ads in Alaska and Maine express support for challengers to Republican Read More…
A former Montana health official said Democratic governor Steve Bullock threatened her and other state employees who tried to blow the whistle on welfare fraud. Wendie Fredrickson, who served as a Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services audit reviewer for more than 20 years, said Bullock “intimidated [state regulators] into ignoring fraud” when Read More…
Rep. Louie Gohmert — a Texas Republican who has been walking around the Capitol without a mask — has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to multiple sources. Gohmert was scheduled to fly to Texas on Wednesday morning with President Donald Trump and tested positive in a pre-screen at the White House. The eighth-term Republican Read More…
County election officials have asked Gov. Steve Bullock to decide by Aug. 10 whether they can conduct an all-mail ballot for the November general election, saying they must make that call soon, for planning purposes. The top election official in Lewis and Clark County also told MTN News Tuesday she’d be recommending an all-mail Nov. Read More…
On the campaign trail, current State Auditor and Insurance Commissioner Matt Rosendale spoke with KGVO News on Thursday about his plan to ‘Reignite our Economy’ should he be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November. Rosendale said there are eight parts to his plan. READ FULL STORY
NAMPA, Idaho — Just last week, St. Luke’s confirmed the death of Samatha Hickey. Hickey was a nurse practitioner with St. Luke’s Children’s team in Nampa. She spent 13 years providing care to children in the Canyon County area and five years with the hospital. The 45-year-old died from complications from COVID-19, according to St. Read More…
A former Pennsylvania congressman convicted in the 1970s Abscam investigation was charged Thursday as a result of new allegations that he bribed a poll worker to stuff ballot boxes in local elections. Federal prosecutors said former U.S. Rep. Michael “Ozzie” Myers, now working as a campaign consultant, paid a South Philadelphia judge of elections Read More…
SIOUX FALLS | South Dakota lawmakers on Tuesday called for formal consultation processes between tribal and state governments following Gov. Kristi Noem’s handling of a conflict over coronavirus checkpoints set up by tribes. Legislators on a committee tasked with navigating the relationship between tribes and the state criticized the governor for escalating the conflict Read More…
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that President Donald Trump, “Whether he knows it yet or not, he will be leaving” the White House, despite Trump’s refusal to commit to respecting the 2020 presidential election results. “There is a process,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” referring to presidential elections and the Constitutional mechanism for putting their winners into Read More…
North Dakota’s Republican Party is supporting the reelection bid of State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler, who pleaded guilty to drunken driving in March but still dominated the June primary. More than two-thirds of the party’s 58-member State Committee voted in a secret ballot on Saturday at its meeting in Medora to award Baesler its letter of Read More…
Rep. Greg Gianforte R-Mont., was campaigning for governor in Havre Thursday, discuss his Montana Comeback Plan at Tilleman Motor Co. Kristen Juras, Gianforte’s running mate, introduced him to the small crowd at the event. “I am excited,” Juras said. “I am excited about the prospect about Greg Gianforte becoming our next governor.” Gianforte was elected Read More…
A candidate for the Wyoming House of Representatives recently penned an open letter to the Laramie City Council, telling its members their proposed mask resolution was unconstitutional. Ocean Andrew, who is running to represent House District 46, posted the letter to Facebook on Tuesday, the same day the council was set to discuss a potential Read More…
Black-owned and minority businesses have suffered greatly recently with many having to permanently close their doors as a result of the COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, pandemic. Due to economic impact, it’s been reported that nearly 40% of businesses will not be able to survive the public health crisis. Now Sens. Cory Booker (D- NJ) and Steve Daines (R-MT) are coming Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota is urging a federal appeals court to block a judge’s order to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline. North Dakota Solicitor General Matt Sagsveen filed a document Monday supporting operator Energy Transfer’s efforts to keep the oil line open while the Texas-based company appeals. READ FULL STORY
It’s pretty cool that a candidate for governor is not only attending the Montana Governor’s Cup Walleye Tournament, but over the weekend, Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-MT) actually fished in the tournament. Why is that such a big deal? Frankly, if you talk to folks in Eastern Montana- they’ll tell you that Eastern Montana often gets ignored Read More…
The Florida Democratic Party announced late Wednesday that it was returning at least $780,000 in small-business loans after its own lawmakers criticized the acceptance of the money as highly questionable if not illegal and unethical. The party immediately applied for the loan after Congress first passed the $670 billion Paycheck Protection Program, known as PPP, Read More…
As we reported back in May, Lieutenant Governor and Democrat gubernatorial candidate, Mike Cooney (D-MT) was busted for making campaign fundraising calls from his official office in the state capitol. Now, Cooney has been slapped with the “maximum penalty” by the state Commissioner of Political Practices. As the Associated Press reports: READ FULL STORY
The Republican candidate challenging Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claims he has a real shot at toppling the first-term Democratic socialist firebrand in the general election. The campaign of ex-cop and retired teacher John Cummings said the 14th Congressional District, covering portions of The Bronx and Queens, is populated with practical, working-class voters — not radical leftists like AOC. Read More…
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Newly released data shows North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum’s company received federal loans in April. The Kilbourne Group was awarded between $350,000 to $1 million from the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP. The Small Business Administration has distributed more than half a trillion dollars in forgivable loans. The loans were Read More…
The Bureau of Reclamation says after receiving public feedback it has decided not to change the names of Chinamen’s and Confederate campgrounds. A statement from Bureau of Reclamation Regional Director Brent Esplin said: “The Bureau of Reclamation will be retaining the historical names of Chinamen’s and Confederate campgrounds in the Canyon Ferry Recreation Area based Read More…
The University of Montana Big Sky Poll recently asked 517 registered Montana voters, if the election were held today, how would they vote? In a series of head-to-head matchups, participants were asked to pick their preferred candidate. U.S. President 52% favor President Trump. (These results indicate a 4% decrease in support for President Trump from Read More…
(CN) — A Montana judge Tuesday blocked a state law that restricts who can collect ballots, finding it likely violates Native Americans’ right to vote. In a state where over 73% of voters cast ballots by mail, the Ballot Interference Prevention Act, enacted by Montana’s 2017 Legislature, restricts who can collect ballots and dictates that Read More…
Greta Thunberg has accused world leaders of taking selfies with her just to “look good,” name-dropping German Chancellor Angela Merkel as one of them. The 17-year-old climate activist made the comments during a series about her campaigning for Swedish radio, an English text of which was made available for the BBC. Thunberg sailed across the Atlantic Read More…
In Montana’s 2020 race for governor, voters won’t have much trouble finding stark contrasts, between Republican congressman and former businessman Greg Gianforte and Democratic Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney. Gianforte, 59, one of the wealthiest men in Montana, will pitch himself as the “business guy” who will scrutinize government and make it more business-friendly. “I’m running Read More…
A sharply divided Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Montana can create a tax credit program for private tuition assistance even though it would mean most money goes to religiously affiliated schools, allowing states to set up such programs even if their state constitution bans aid for churches and religious schools. The 5-4 decision reversed a Read More…
Doug Benevento’s nomination as EPA’s deputy administrator, imperiled by Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst’s anger with the agency over ethanol standards, is receiving a quiet boost from Montana’s Senate delegation. Both Republican Sen. Steve Daines and Democratic Sen. Jon Tester say they have lobbied their colleagues who sit on the Environment and Public Works Committee Read More…
some members of the Wyoming Republican Party expect to file a lawsuit against the state central committee after the party adopted a number of bylaw changes at its convention that critics argue are designed to consolidate power at the state level. The changes, which were approved at the weekend gathering without debate, include a Read More…
In a 5-4 decision announced Monday, the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that severely restricted abortion in the state, marking a win for abortion rights advocates. Chief Justice John Roberts, a crucial conservative swing vote, sided with liberal Justices Breyer, Ginsburg, Sotomayor and Kagan in issuing the majority opinion. According to The Associated Press, Roberts Read More…
Several employees stood among wooden dressers, dining room tables, couches and chairs to greet Sen. Steve Daines as he visited the showroom for Black Timber Furniture in Four Corners on Friday morning. Black Timber Furniture received $65,000 from the federal paycheck protection program, a $349 billion initiative that provides loans to small businesses. The program was Read More…
BOISE — Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney say they plan to appeal Tuesday’s U.S. District Court decision granting Reclaim Idaho’s request for a second chance to qualify its school-funding initiative for the November ballot, after the statewide stay-home order cut off signature gathering prior to the state’s deadline. “This decision is Read More…
Two legal challenges are brewing in the wake of North Dakota’s June election. North Dakota’s Republican Party is researching a potential lawsuit against Democratic-NPL insurance commissioner nominee Travisia Martin, who the GOP claims doesn’t meet the five-year residency requirement to be a candidate. But it’s unclear when or if the party will sue. Two unsuccessful Read More…
The Wyoming Republican Party is doing what most organizations can’t right now. Not only are they getting a high-profile figure to keynote their convention but that figure is actually appearing in-person. Well-known conservative activist Charlie Kirk is heading to Gillette for the Wyoming Republican Convention this weekend and for conservatives, there couldn’t be a better Read More…
Lewis and Clark County leaders came together Wednesday to answer some of the public’s questions about policing in the county. The county commission and Sheriff Leo Dutton held a community address, aimed at giving people a better idea of how the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office operates. Commissioner Susan Good Geise said they’ve heard Read More…
At a free mass testing site on Montana’s Flathead Reservation, hundreds of people are queued up in idling cars. They’re waiting an hour or more for the irritating nose swab test for the coronavirus, but most, like Francine Van Maanen, are just grateful to finally get one. “We enjoyed the fact that they had this Read More…
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who is running as a Democratic Senate candidate in a tight race rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report, filled his 25-member coronavirus task force with several high-dollar donors who then informed his administration how to distribute more than $1 billion in federal stimulus aid, records reviewed by Fox News show. The task force, known Read More…
Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and his Democratic challenger, Gov. Steve Bullock, are arming up for Montana’s most expensive, high-profile battle of 2020 – a marquee race that could decide control of the U.S. Senate. But in some of their first remarks after the June 2 primary, both men also are aiming for the political Read More…
HELENA — As the 2020 general-election race for Montana governor gets under way, Republican candidate Greg Gianforte’s campaign has accumulated almost four times the money of his Democratic competitor, Mike Cooney – but that total includes $1.5 million of Gianforte’s own money. Gianforte reported Monday that his campaign has raised about $3.83 million through June Read More…
Executive and legislative relationships could be set back as a result of Gov. Doug Burgum’s hefty donations to a political group that successfully targeted a powerful fellow Republican in the June election, according to a top House lawmaker. Burgum disputes that he’s done anything out of the ordinary and denies having a rocky relationship Read More…