Montana News
Comprehensive coverage of Montana’s statewide news—politics, environment, communities, and culture—delivered with trusted reporting and a local lens.
Judge blocks Election Day voter registration changes
Late voter registration, allowing Montanans to sign up to vote so long as they’re in line before polls officially …
Hunters kill 20 Yellowstone wolves that roamed out of park
Twenty of Yellowstone National Park's renowned gray wolves roamed from the park and were shot by hunters in recent months — the most killed by hunting in a sin…
Medical marijuana users brace for shortages
More than a year after voters approved legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Montana, anyone older than 21 can now enter a dispensary and buy cannabis. …
Gianforte won't use emergency powers to combat omicron
Gov. Greg Gianforte acknowledged the high degree of transmissibility of the omicron COVID-19 variant but maintained at a press conference Tuesday at the Capito…
Montana Supreme Court reverses attempted homicide conviction
The Montana Supreme Court has reversed a Miles City man's conviction for attempted deliberate homicide for threatening to stab a bar owner in the heart while the defendant sat handcuffed in the back of a law enforc…
Oil, gas leasing on federal land to resume in first quarter
Oil and gas leasing on federal land is expected to resume early this year in North Dakota and Montana after the Biden administration halted the process nationwide last year.
Efforts to clear marijuana convictions have mixed results
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — When voters approved recreational cannabis in the fall of 2020, they also created a path for people previously convicted of now-legal acti…
Montana's minimum wage rising 45 cents to $9.20 on Jan. 1
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana's minimum wage is rising by 45 cents, to $9.20 per hour, beginning on Jan. 1, according to the Department of Labor and Industry.
Man shot, injured; tried to break into police officer's home
An intruder suffered a gunshot wound after trying to break into the home of an off-duty Great Falls Police officer, the police department said.
Wildlife officials start feeding elk in central Idaho
Idaho wildlife officials have started feeding elk west of Ketchum and Sun Valley in central Idaho to keep them out of populated areas.
2 Minnesota snowmobilers die in southern Montana avalanche
Two Minnesota men died in an avalanche while snowmobiling in the mountains north of Yellowstone National Park, where about 3 feet (1 meter) of snow had fallen over the past week, the Gallatin National Forest Avalan…
Montana has spent 1,800 hours, $100K defending challenges to 2021 bills
The Montana Department of Justice has spent just more than $100,000 and nearly 2,000 hours defending the state from legal challenges against laws passed during the 2021 legislative session, according to a legislati…
FAQ: Recreational marijuana in Montana
On Jan. 1, 2022, adult-use recreational marijuana will become available for purchase in Montana. The launch of the new market raises a wide range of questions,…
Judge: 2 PSC districts ‘presumptively unconstitutional’ due to uneven population growth
A federal judge issued an order yesterday blocking the state’s top election official from certifying candidates running for the Public Service Commission until…
Gas company sues Interior over Badger-Two Medicine ruling
Attorneys for a Louisiana oil and gas company have asked a federal judge to reinstate a drilling lease it held on land considered sacred to Native American tri…
Tests show lead levels a problem in many Montana schools
Of the Montana schools that have met the state's program deadline, most show high levels of lead in school drinking water.