News
Stay current with top stories from Northwest Montana, including local government updates, education news, community issues, public safety, environmental reports, and regional developments.
Construction of new Flathead County jail celebrated with groundbreaking ceremony
Nearly 20 people involved with the project posed for the photo-op, including the three county commissioners, Sheri…
Highly contagious bird flu found in 2 Idaho chicken flocks
A highly contagious form of avian influenza has been found in two Idaho chicken flocks, prompting state agriculture officials to warn bird owners to take extra protections when interacting with their flocks.
Sun Road plows at west side tunnel
Glacier National Park plow crews have made it to the west side tunnel on Going-to-the-Sun Road, the Park Service reported Friday.
A year in, Montana’s rolled-back public health powers leave some areas in limbo
A year after a new Montana law stripped local health boards of their rulemaking authority, confusion and power struggles are creating a patchwork oversight system that may change how public health is administered l…
Report: Montana Medicaid reduced ER visits, charity care, leaned into telehealth
A groundbreaking study released Thursday showed that many of Montana’s greatest hopes about how Medicaid expansion could benefit the state have turned out to be true, and in some cases, better than expected.
Work on U.S. 2 near Marion begins Monday
A project to repair and replace multiple culverts on U.S. 2 southwest of Marion is slated to begin April 18.
Man shot by deputies in 2021 sentenced in Lincoln County to five years behind bars
The man shot by a Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy during an early 2021 domestic call was sentenced Monday to five years in state prison, minus time already ser…
White House Easter Egg Roll returns after 2-year hiatus
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House hopes to stir up some "egg-citement" when the Easter Egg Roll returns on Monday after a two-year, coronavirus-induced hiatus.
Gone from KPD, county commissioner candidate Parce under review by state bureau
Jason Parce, who has made his career in local law enforcement a tentpole of his campaign for the Flathead County Commission, no longer works as a police office…
Putin's Pollock: U.S. seafood imports fuel Russian war machine
MIAMI (AP) — A U.S. ban on seafood imports from Russia over its invasion of Ukraine was supposed to sap billions of dollars from Vladimir Putin's war machine.
Biden increases crude oil royalty rate, scales back leases
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration is sharply raising rates for royalties companies pay on oil and natural gas extracted from federal lands as it …
Highly contagious bird flu found in 2 Idaho chicken flocks
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A highly contagious form of avian influenza has been found in two Idaho chicken flocks, prompting state agriculture officials to warn bird owners to take extra protections when interacting with …
C-Falls man charged with homicide after shooting victim dies
Prosecutors filed a deliberate homicide charge against Zachary Matthew Maas on Friday after the man he allegedly shot in March succumbed to his injuries in Kin…
Yellowstone National Park culls just 49 bison this winter
Forty-nine Yellowstone National Park bison were shipped to slaughter, killed by hunters or captured for relocation this winter — well short of officials' goal …
Montana unemployment falls to record low 2.3% in March
Montana's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dipped 0.3 percentage points in March to 2.3% as it continued to hit new record lows, Gov. Greg Gianforte said …
Authorities search Swan Lake for missing kayakers
Authorities are searching Swan Lake for two people after Lake County 911 received a report Thursday afternoon of two kayakers struggling in the water about 1,000 feet from shore during high winds.