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 …
Covid forces Idaho hospitals past capacity, toward crisis
Hospital facilities and public health agencies are scrambling to add capacity as the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise statewide. But many Idaho res…
Parents sue Missoula school district over mask requirement
Several parents are suing Missoula public schools over a mask requirement as the school year in Montana is set to begin amid a new wave of Covid-19 cases.
Woman banned from Yellowstone after walking on thermal areas
A Connecticut woman has been sentenced to seven days in jail, must pay more than $2,000 in fines and fees and is banned from Yellowstone National Park for two …
Gaps in wildfire smoke warning network leave many exposed
Huge gaps between air quality sensors in the western U.S. have created blind spots in the warning system for wildfire smoke plumes sweeping North America this …
Whitefish schools' mask policy triggers protests
Parents, students and others have gathered in downtown Whitefish on several recent occasions to protest the Whitefish School Board's decision to require younge…
Massage parlor owner pleads guilty to enticing prostitution
A woman who owned and operated massage parlors in Montana, and has previous convictions related to prostitution, has pleaded guilty to charges alleging she enticed women to provide prostitution services to customer…
Wolves in Idaho, Montana could get federal oversight
Two conservation groups asked the Biden administration to reinstate a federal monitoring program to oversee the management of gray wolves in Idaho and Montana …
Montana law contradicts CDC quarantine recommendations
A Montana law is limiting health departments' ability to issue quarantine orders as it sees a wave of Covid-19 cases threatening the state's health care system.
With hospitals overwhelmed by virus, Idaho seeks volunteers
Idaho's hospitals are bursting at the seams as coronavirus numbers continue to skyrocket across the state, prompting state leaders to call on residents to serv…
Commission seeks suggestions for new U.S. House district maps
The commission tasked with dividing Montana into two U.S. House districts for the first time since the 1980s has a Nov. 14 deadline to submit a final district …
Crews recover body of man who fell in Lake Coeur d'Alene
The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office says search crews have recovered the body of a man who disappeared in Lake Coeur d'Alene on Sunday.
Gianforte encourages vaccines, won't mandate shots or masks
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte continues to negotiate a political tight rope related to Covid-19, encouraging people to get vaccinated while promising he will not…
Forest Service working to restore Idaho's state tree
The U.S. Forest Service is trying to bring back Idaho's state tree to its former prominence.
Jury denies damages in wrongful death lawsuit in Livingston
A federal jury has denied a damage award to the family of a Livingston man who was shot and killed by police in January 2016.
Montana food pantries still busy; clients seek food, company
When clients show up at Pantry Partners Food Bank in Stevensville, it's not just for produce or canned goods.