Politics & Government
The Daily Inter Lake’s Politics & Government section delivers updated local and national political coverage, featuring legislative developments, elections, policy debates, and government actions shaping Montana.
Kalispell City Council to consider ways to notify residents of future development
Kalispell City Council is expected to update the municipality’s public participation process for future developmen…
Neill, Bankhead court rural voters in Senate primary
For two of the front-running Montana Democrats in this year’s U.S. Senate race, part of the strategy has been to court voters in areas that rarely “go blue” — …
Sheehy-supporting PAC takes aim at Montana’s Democratic Senate candidates
With a week left to vote in the primary election, the second-biggest spender in the Democratic race for U.S. Senate is a PAC that was organized to support Tim Sheehy in 2024. This cycle, it has spent $700,000 to de…
Kalispell City Council supports license plate reader technology, higher fees to free up on-street parking
City councilors in Kalispell appeared willing to increase fines for parking violations and buy license plate reader technology to better enforce parking downto…
Bodnar expects to clear signature threshold for independent U.S. Senate campaign
Signatures were due Tuesday for the independent candidates hoping to qualify for the November ballot, including federal and state legislative seats.
Kalispell City Council to consider changes to downtown parking regs, including more expensive tickets
Kalispell City Council on Tuesday will consider overhauling downtown parking regulations to free up on-street spaces for business patrons and crack down on chr…
Mailers fuel speculation in Montana’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate
Underfunded, Alani Bankhead was facing scratch-ticket-lottery odds of reaching voters with hardly more than a whisper campaign in the final weeks of the Democr…
Kalispell Council seeks $25M grant for roundabouts, crosswalk upgrades along Main Street
Kalispell City Council on Monday voted unanimously to pursue a federal grant to improve pedestrian safety on Main Street.
Kalispell Council reviews $189M budget proposal, weighs public safety and infrastructure spending
Kalispell City Council took its first look at the municipality’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget last week.
Kalispell City Council to vote on federal grant for pedestrian safety upgrades
Kalispell City Council is expected to vote Monday on whether to pursue a federal grant to improve pedestrian safety on Main Street — a grant it opted against a…
Counting machines add vote of confidence to elections security
The conference room of the Flathead County Elections Department whirred with noise. Volunteers rattled off strings of numbers to the beat of keyboards tapping …
Kalispell Planning Commission backs changes to city's public participation plan
The Kalispell Planning Commission on Tuesday endorsed updating city’s public participation plan to outline how residents can stay informed on development propo…
Trump administration cancels rule that made conservation a 'use' of public lands
The Interior Department is canceling a rule that put conservation on equal footing with development, as President Donald Trump's administration eases restricti…
Digitally altered political mailers spur lawsuit over Montana AI law
Two state lawmakers running in Republican primary elections have said that hundreds of mailers sent out depicting them waving a pride flag and wearing a button with pronouns on it violate a Montana law prohibiting …
Kalispell seeks input on how best to notify residents of proposed developments
Residents on Tuesday can weigh in on changes to Kalispell’s public participation plan, which will determine how the public can offer comment on site-specific d…