Article Summary – Six wildlife and animal rights groups, including Animal Wellness Action and the Gallatin Wildlife Association, plan to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to restore endangered species protections for wolves, alleging that Northern Rockies states have irresponsibly managed the species. The move follows an incident
Article Summary – Donald Trump Jr. attended a “Protecting Freedom” event where he rallied for leading Republican candidates in Montana, urging support for a conservative agenda he said would help win elections in November. The event was hosted by Montana Association of Conservatives and criticized the current Biden administration, Democrats,
Article Summary – President Biden has nominated Danna Jackson, a lawyer for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, to succeed Judge Dana Christensen in Montana’s U.S. District Court. Jackson, who could become the state’s first Native American federal judge, worked in the U.S. Department of the Interior as a lawyer
Article Summary – Two Republican candidates, Charles Walking Child, a U.S. Senate primary candidate, and Tanner Smith, a gubernatorial candidate, have been disallowed to attend a high-profile GOP campaign event in Missoula, Montana featuring Donald Trump Jr. and Alex Bruesewitz. The event, hosted by the Montana Association of Conservatives PAC
Article Summary – Montana’s state Medicaid Director, Mike Randol, has resigned from his position to take a job in the private sector. During his tenure, Randol oversaw the application for a Medicaid program waiver expansion that created new reimbursement opportunities for substance use disorder treatments and services, and implemented significant
Article Summary – Public schools in Montana are struggling with multimillion-dollar budget shortfalls, prompting calls for additional taxpayer support. School districts have been hit hard by the expiration of federal pandemic relief funding, inflation outpacing allocations from state lawmakers, and stagnant or declining student enrollment. The shortfalls have led to
Article Summary – A legislative audit of the Montana Department of Corrections has highlighted several deficiencies in the department’s educational programs at state prisons, including low participation in such programs, a gap between the training provided and workforce needs, and poor enforcement of agreements with private prisons. The audit was
Article Summary – The federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) plans to reject a law passed by the 2023 Montana Legislature that was intended to relax water quality laws related to coal mining. This rejection is due to the claim that the law is inconsistent and less
Article Summary – A veto override attempt on Montana’s marijuana revenue bill failed, with the override poll garnering only 41 “yes” votes from state representatives and 14 from state senators, falling short of the required two-thirds majority. The proposed Bill 442 would have reallocated tax revenues from Montana’s adult-use marijuana
Article Summary – A moose that wandered onto the campus of Capital High School in Helena, Montana, caused a disruption to the school schedule, leading to a short-lived shelter-in-place order. The school’s principal, Brett Zanto, alerted the students to stay in their classrooms until the situation was resolved. The moose,
Article Summary – The Montana 2024 U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Jon Tester and Republican businessman Tim Sheehy has seen Tester raise over $7 million in Q1, doubling Sheehy’s fundraising. Tester has also continued to spend less than he is raising, leaving him with over $12 million on hand.
Article Summary – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has adopted a rule that aims to balance conservation initiatives with commercial uses of federal land, such as oil and gas leasing and grazing. The rule, which has been applauded by conservation and environmental organizations, will allow the BLM to lease
