Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke received the Excellence in Advocacy Award from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation at a ceremony at the organization’s Missoula headquarters, recognizing his work on public lands, wildlife habitat and America’s hunting heritage. RMEF president and CEO Kyle Weaver and chief conservation officer Blake Henning presented the award. Zinke is only Read More…
Vice President JD Vance remains the clear favorite in a prospective 2028 Republican presidential primary, with 41% of Republicans and right-leaning Independents saying they would vote for him in The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll. The Center Square has conducted four 2028 presidential primary polls since October, and Vance’s latest showing was his strongest to Read More…
National teacher unions contribute at least 10% of their annual budget to lobbying and political activism, which includes calling for the impeachment of Republican President Donald Trump in the 2026 American Federation of Teachers handbook. Efforts also include supporting Democratic causes such as messaging against immigration enforcement. Some teachers raise questions about whether union dues are being Read More…
Montana’s Carpenters Union Local 82 endorsed Republican congressional candidate Aaron Flint during a construction site tour at the new Bretz RV warehouse in Butte, with members of the Ironworkers Union also joining to show their support — a notable show of organized labor backing for a Republican in a race rated Likely Republican by Sabato’s Read More…
President Donald Trump is “goading” Democrats to try to impeach him because he believes it would help “solidify his base” of supporters, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday. Pelosi has not been shy about publicly criticizing the president and his administration. But she has shown clear resistance toward the politically fraught prospect of impeaching Trump, Read More…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department tracked 40 outdoors-related bills during the 2019 legislative session, 21 of which were passed by both chambers and signed into law by Gov. Doug Burgum. Here’s a closer look at the bills, which take effect Aug. 1 unless the bill includes an emergency clause indicating it already is Read More…
Most kids wouldn’t dare be seen with their parents within several miles of school. Not Sen. Steve Daines, though — he was bold enough to be seen with them in his office. Gasp! It’s apparently “bring your parents to work” day for the Republican senator, who shared a picture with mom and dad on Twitter. READ Read More…
Montana’s Democratic Senator Jon Tester spoke on the U.S. Senate floor Tuesday urging his colleagues to pass a handful of federal bills aimed at addressing what’s been called a crisis of missing and murdered Native American women and girls. “Now this bill directs the GAO [Government Accountability Office] to conduct a full review of how Read More…
HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock signed or let become law 76 bills Tuesday, including ones to crack down on sexual abusers of children and to increase funding for state parks. But he also vetoed eight measures sponsored by Republicans, including a bill touted by GOP legislative leaders as a key economic-development incentive, creating tax credits Read More…
HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock signed or let become law 76 bills Tuesday, including ones to crack down on sexual abusers of children and to increase funding for state parks. But he also vetoed eight measures sponsored by Republicans, including a bill touted by GOP legislative leaders as a key economic-development incentive, creating tax credits Read More…
North Dakota has seen a small swell of storytelling on screen in recent years, but none of it filmed here. The FX television series “Fargo” was shot in Calgary, Alberta. “Woman Walks Ahead,” which portrayed an artist’s relationship with Sitting Bill on the Standing Rock Reservation, was filmed in New Mexico. And ABC’s “Blood & Read More…
(GILLETTE, Wyo.) — Wyoming Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi announced Saturday that he will not run for a fifth term in 2020, costing the GOP a loyal conservative senator but likely not the seat. Enzi, 75, announced his pending retirement in his hometown of Gillette, where he owned a shoe store and “never intended to Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montana became the first state to legalize sports betting this year after Gov. Steve Bullock signed a bill on Friday allowing the state lottery to oversee a system of wagering through kiosks and mobile applications that could be running by fall. Montana is at the head of a wave of states passing Read More…
BILLINGS – The current legislative session has closed and bills have made their way to the governor’s desk to be signed; One of those bills is Senate Bill 265 which revamps Montana’s medical marijuana program. When Montana’s medical marijuana program first debuted in 2004 it, unfortunately, had some difficulties “When this program was initially created Read More…
Gov. Doug Burgum on Thursday signed the last 53 bills remaining from the 2019 North Dakota legislative session, including one reforming civil asset forfeiture. Rep. Rick Becker, R-Bismarck, brought the original bill to eliminate the “perverse incentive” of “policing for profit.” Civil asset forfeiture applies to property involved in crime. The bill evolved greatly over Read More…
There are currently 20 announced Democratic candidates for president deemed “serious” aspirants. (That includes one candidate, Wayne Messam, who isn’t on some lists, although he is mayor of Miramar, Florida, which is larger than Pete Buttigieg’s South Bend). Now two others with solid résumés but little to no national name ID are joining the fray. Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines pushed ahead Wednesday with an attempt to cut retirement benefits to Indian Health Service pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber, who sexually assaulted Blackfeet children. The Republican senator for Montana questioned Assistant Surgeon General Michael D. Weahkee on Wednesday about Indian Health Service’s handling of reports against Weber. The questions came as the Read More…
Montana’s Congressional delegation has introduced legislation to increase investments in the Milk River Infrastructure Project that thousands of farmers use for irrigation water in north-central Montana. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines as well as Congressman Greg Gianforte introduced the St. Mary’s Reinvestment Act, which will ensure the federal government picks up 75 percent of Read More…
The Democratic Party is about to get its 21st candidate vying for the chance to face President Trump in the 2020 race for the White House. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, 53, will announced his bid for the White House in two weeks, according to MTN News. The 53-year-old, who has served for two terms as Read More…
With Stacey Abrams becoming the latest high-profile Democrat to say no to a 2020 Senate bid — and more rejections of party pressure possible on the horizon — running for the Senate no longer looks look like the step up the political ladder it may once have been. A few Democrats have chosen to run for president Read More…
U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte met with state telecommunication leaders Monday in Bozeman to understand how best to develop technology policies that benefit Montanans. “Rural broadband is critically important for our economy, for telecommuters, it’s important for health care delivery, it’s important for education and yet we’ve had a digital divide between rural areas and urban Read More…
HELENA — The future of the proposal to prolong the life of the Colstrip 4 power plant, by encouraging NorthWestern Energy to buy a larger share of the plant, appeared in doubt Tuesday, as legislative leaders held off on appointing a panel that could resurrect it. House Speaker Greg Hertz, R-Polson, and Senate Majority Leader Read More…
BOZEMAN – Monday night, the Bozeman City Commission approved a $22,000 settlement for plaintiff Roger Koopman, who brought a lawsuit claiming officials broke campaign laws around last year’s election to approve the city’s new Public Safety Center. The commission voted 4-1 in favor of the settlement, with the majority stating that the settlement would be much cheaper Read More…
President Donald Trump on Monday filed a lawsuit against House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings to block a subpoena of the president’s financial records from an accounting firm, escalating tensions between the White House and congressional Democrats who are investigating his business empire. In a new court filing, Trump’s attorneys asked for an Read More…
A huge majority of people responding to a Townsquare Media of Cheyenne poll over the past week say “good old boy” politics run Wyoming. While the poll was not a scientific sampling of public opinion, 504 out of 607 people taking the poll represents an overwhelming majority agreeing with the premise of the question. That Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Legislature is scrambling to finish its work and leave at least a handful of days on the books before the constitutional 80-day limit. Lawmakers had hoped to be finished in less than 75 days to give themselves a cushion that could be used in the future to address unforeseen Read More…
BISMARCK — The North Dakota House rejected a compromise bill creating a new income tax deduction for Social Security benefits Monday, April 22, sending legislative negotiators back to the drawing board. As introduced, House Bill 1174 would have allowed people to reduce their North Dakota taxable income by the amount of any Social Security Read More…
The state Legislature last week passed a resolution to examine how it might set up monetary compensation to support those wrongfully incarcerated upon their release. House Joint resolution 36, which passed through the Senate on Thursday following a 34-16 vote, requests an interim study for appropriate compensation for the wrongfully convicted. The results of the Read More…
Helena – Republican candidate for Attorney General Jon Bennion has signed on to a brief from the Attorney General’s office that asks a federal appeals court not throw out Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) even though the part of the law has been ruled unconstitutional. Mr. Bennion, a former lobbyist and current Justice Department aide, Read More…
John MacDonald was once on a police ride-along when someone called 911 on a belligerent man outside a bar. When officers arrived, they knew the person by name. He wasn’t drunk — he was off the medication for his mental health disorder. MacDonald, a lobbyist for the city of Missoula, said officers took the man Read More…
There may be a new candidate running for the Montana gubernatorial election in 2020. In an statement sent to KFBB, a spokesperson for Congressman Greg Gianforte wrote, “With the strong encouragement he receives as he meets with Montanans throughout the state, Greg is seriously considering a run for governor.” Gianforte was sworn into Congress in Read More…
As progressives continue to challenge the Democratic Party’s moderate members, former President Barack Obama says he fears that some may be going a step too far. During an Obama Foundation town hall in Berlin on Saturday, he warned that without compromise, the conflicting ideologies could spur infighting among the left. “One of the things I Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Legislature is honoring former lawmakers who have died since the last session in 2017. The House on Tuesday is honoring 27 representatives and the Senate is honoring eight senators during afternoon floor sessions. READ FULL STORY
BISMARCK — A North Dakota Republican state senator from Mayville has resigned due to health issues. Arne Osland, who was in his second session in the state Legislature, notified Legislative Management Chairman Sen. Ray Holmberg of his resignation in a letter dated Monday, March 18. “It has been my honor and privilege to serve the Read More…
Out of 503 bills introduced in the Wyoming Legislature this year, about 43 percent of them made it Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk. When Wyoming’s chief executive takes his pen Friday to the final 13 bills passed by the Wyoming Legislature, he will be considering three of the most contentious pieces of legislation to emerge from Read More…
HELENA – U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) met Friday with leaders from the skilled trades in Helena, to discuss ways to encourage more students to consider apprenticeship programs. Daines visited the Montana Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Center, operated by local chapters of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Electrical Contractors Association. Read More…
Montana’s Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte accused Washington Gov. Jay Inslee of killing Colstrip during a heated exchange on climate change Tuesday at a House Energy Committee hearing. The exchange between Inslee and Gianforte occurred when Montana’s Republican lawmakers interjected Colstrip into broader discussions about climate change and energy on Capitol Hill, first in the House Read More…
State Rep. Tom Winter, a Democrat from Missoula, is running for Montana’s sole seat in the U.S. House in 2020. The seat is held by U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, a Republican who is expected to announce a 2020 bid for governor. Winter, 32, is the first to announce for the U.S. House seat. In 2018 Gianforte Read More…
HELENA- The future of public funding for preschool programs in Montana is now uncertain after two proposals to increase the state’s contribution missed an important deadline in the Legislature. The House Education Committee voted down both bills last week. They needed to pass the House by Monday to remain alive. House Bill 225, sponsored by Read More…
The second 2020 Democratic primary debate will be held in Detroit on July 30 and 31, the Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday. The debate, which CNN will broadcast, will be in the battleground state of Michigan, which Democrats lost in 2016 to President Donald Trump. There will be a total of 12 presidential primary debates Read More…
Montana Attorney General Tim Fox joined with the Ohio attorney general, both Republicans, to oppose a ruling by a federal judge in Texas that struck down the Affordable Care Act last year. The ACA, also known as Obamacare, is still in place as the case moves through the appeal process. The Texas judge in Read More…
A former Nevada lawmaker has accused former Vice President Joe Biden of kissing and touching her during a campaign event, an allegation that Biden — a possible presidential contender for 2020 — said he doesn’t recall. The allegations were laid out in a first-person piece written by Lucy Flores, a Democrat who at the time was Read More…
The chairman of the House oversight panel threatened Friday to subpoena testimony and documents related to the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Rep. Elijah Cummings, the panel’s Democratic chairman, said officials at the Commerce Department withheld key documents about the decision despite repeated follow-up requests. In a letter to Commerce Secretary Read More…
Stacey Abrams is set to reveal soon whether she’ll run for president or senator or something else. But in recent months, the Democrat has mounted a nationwide, largely below-the-radar effort to expand her donor and political network that will make her an instant force whatever she decides. Abrams has traversed the country meeting with top Read More…