Montana News
Comprehensive coverage of Montana’s statewide news—politics, environment, communities, and culture—delivered with trusted reporting and a local lens.
Calls to end intraparty fight mount after bitter GOP primary season
Some Republicans believe results of the legislative primary mean it’s time for the Montana Republican Party to men…
Minority report: GOP conspired with Governor’s Office to ‘hack’ judiciary records
Misty Ann Giles, head of the Montana Department of Administration, was in “constant communication with the Governor’s Office” about a legislative subpoena before it was issued — the subpoena quickly quashed by the …
Gianforte accepting applications for judicial vacancy
HELENA (AP) — Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte is accepting applications and nominations for a District Court judge vacancy in Cascade County under a new law that eliminated the Judicial Nomination Commission and allows…
Pipeline program challenged by environmentalists
BILLINGS (AP) — Environmentalists have filed a new legal challenge against a U.S. government program that allows oil and gas pipelines to be built across wetla…
Montana ends unemployment pay boost amid worker shortage
HELENA (AP) — Montana is ending its participation in the federal unemployment program that gives people extra weekly unemployment benefit payments as the state…
State drought conditions worsen during dry April
April showers were few and far between in Northwest Montana, exasperating and already parched spring for the region.
Winners, losers and mixed bags of the 67th Legislature
Montana’s 67th Legislative session formally adjourned Thursday afternoon, with dueling sine die motions from the House and Senate bringing legislators’ work fo…
Yellowstone bison carcass disposal breeds unique alliances
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A shared interest in bison migrating into the Gardiner Basin has created a unique partnership.
New funding to curb wildfires pushed in Congress
WASHINGTON — As wildfires across the United States grow in size, intensity and duration each summer, members of Congress from the West are pushing for massive…
Booms in Idaho, Utah buck the curve of slowing U.S. growth
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Two Western states known for their rugged landscapes and wide-open spaces are bucking the trend of sluggish U.S. population growth.
Gianforte approves limiting sex change on birth certificates
HELENA (AP) — Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a bill Friday requiring a person to have gender reassignment surgery before changing the sex marker on their birth certificate, despite outcry from opponents who say it targ…
Zinke confirms he's running for Montana's U.S. House seat
BILLINGS (AP) — Former congressman and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Friday that he's running for Montana's newly awarded U.S. House seat.
Penalties to increase for reckless driving around responders
BILLINGS (AP) — A bill that strengthens penalties for drivers endangering first responders and highway workers on Montana roadways has been signed into law.
Yellowstone closes southern road to bicyclists during spring
JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Bicyclists will no longer be allowed to ride into Yellowstone National Park through the south gate before the road opens for motorized vehicles each spring.
Gianforte pushes back on plan to look at bison in refuge
BILLINGS (AP) — Gov. Greg Gianforte's office says a U.S. Interior Department plan to consider if bison should be reintroduced to a sprawling refuge in central Montana raises questions about federal intrusion into s…
Montana Legislature wraps up with $12B, two-year budget
HELENA (AP) — The Montana Legislature wrapped up its 2021 session Thursday having passed a $12 billion two-year budget, set a framework for spending $2 billion…