News
Stay current with top stories from Northwest Montana, including local government updates, education news, community issues, public safety, environmental reports, and regional developments.
Montana voters will be able to register to vote on Election Day, judge rules
A Montana judge has blocked the state from limiting voter registration on Election Day, concluding the move would …
Restoration aims to preserve legacy of Werner Peak Lookout
Fire lookouts have a story shaped by the memories of people and events of the past. The Werner Peak Lookout is among the fire lookouts in Northwest Montana sti…
North Valley Food Bank gets $25,000 grant for expansion project
A $25,000 grant from the Whitefish Community Foundation will help the North Valley Food Bank expand its facility amid skyrocketing demand for nutrition assista…
Law roundup: Man in boxer shorts poses a threat
A man decided to keep his family inside their residence with the doors locked and called Kalispell Police Department reportedly because a man, who could usually be seen “working on wood,” was standing outside in hi…
Hotel project mulled at Kalispell council session
A proposed hotel in downtown Kalispell got its first round of public perusal during a Kalispell City Council work session Monday night, with proponents and opp…
Montana hemp growers awarded $65 million for 'deceptive' deal
Hemp, a crop that largely flew under the radar in Montana when it was planted under a pilot program three years ago, is now central to one of the largest civil…
Montana Water Court makes first-of-its-kind decision on tribal water rights
More than 800 water rights claimed by members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians have been pulled out of legal limbo following the Montana Water C…
1 of 5 hurt firefighters still hospitalized in smoky Montana
Four injured firefighters were released from the hospital and a fifth was being treated Monday at a burn center after a Montana wildfire overran them last week…
New mobile app to help drug addiction recovery in Montana
A mobile application will be used to help treat addiction in Montana under a new partnership between an addiction treatment provider in Billings and a private company, state officials announced Tuesday.
Gianforte won't endorse masks despite COVID-19 case rise
Montana health officials reported on Tuesday more than 250 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in a single day for the first time in over five months.
Lawmakers push for drought assistance for Montana ag producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday added Flathead, Lake, Glacier and Pondera counties to the list of Montana counties eligible for federal drought re…
CDC reverses course on indoor masks in some parts of US
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing m…
Warming rivers in US West killing fish, imperiling industry
Baby salmon are dying by the thousands in one California river, and an entire run of endangered salmon could be wiped out in another. Fishermen who make their …
Montana inmate who escaped, took gun is recaptured
A Montana inmate who overpowered a jail guard and took the guard's gun and minivan was taken back into custody on Tuesday, ending an intensive search that spanned three days.
Smoke fouls air as fires, heat hammer U.S. northern Rockies
Record-breaking heat was forecast to return Tuesday to the Northern Rockies, where thick smoke from dozens of large wildfires drove pollution readings to unhea…
Convicted killer's gun found in Clark Fork River
For a case that dragged on for nearly three years, there’s maybe little surprise the saga of convicted murderer Danielle Wood continues with the recent discove…