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 …
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.
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…
4 firefighters out of hospital after 5 injured in Montana
Four firefighters have been released from the hospital and a fifth was being treated at a burn center Monday after a Montana wildfire overran them last week, a…
Warming rivers in 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.
Montana inmate overpowers guard, gets gun and escapes
Authorities in southcentral Montana were searching Monday for an inmate who overpowered a county jail guard, took the guard's gun and car keys and escaped in a jail minivan.
Wildfires blasting through West draw states to lend support
BLY, Ore. (AP) — Out-of-state crews headed to Montana Saturday to battle a blaze that injured five firefighters as the West struggled with a series of fires th…
Messy camp draws bear; Idaho woman fined $5.8K
A judge has ordered an Idaho woman to pay over $5,800 for leaving trash out that attracted a grizzly bear to her campsite in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Par…
Warm water prompts Yellowstone 2 p.m.-sunrise fishing ban
Warm water and low flows have prompted Yellowstone National Park to close all fishing in rivers and streams during the afternoon and evening for the first time…
5 firefighters injured while fighting eastern Montana fire
Five firefighters were injured when a thunderstorm and swirling winds blew a lightning-caused fire back on them in central Montana, the Bureau of Land Management said Friday.
Montana National Guard mobilized to support firefighting
Gov. Greg Gianforte on Thursday mobilized the Montana National Guard to assist in wildfire response as the entire state faces abnormally dry conditions contrib…