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New federal eviction moratorium protects renters in majority of Montana counties
The new eviction moratorium announced by the Biden Administration on Tuesday will protect the majority of renters in Montana counties “experiencing substantial and high levels of community transmission” of COVID-19, according to the order. That means eligible renters in 39 of Montana’s 56 counties — and all of the state’s population centers — will be […]
ICYMI: ‘We need to reclaim the language of liberty’
ST. REGIS — Pastor Matt Shea, a former Washington state lawmaker ousted from the Republican caucus after a legislative investigation found he’d helped plan the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, among other conflicts, held the crowd in the shade structure at St. Regis Community Park enrapt. Smoke from nearby wildfires […]
In Montana, 600 people displaced due to fire; Boulder 2700 fire remains top priority
Gov. Greg Gianforte received a briefing from state fire management officials Tuesday as several large blazes raged across the state, albeit slowed somewhat by increased humidity and a series of rainstorms. There are 24 large fires burning in the state as of the morning of August 3. Some 260,000 acres — more than half of […]
Ellsworth pleads guilty to obstruction charge stemming from May traffic stop
Sen. Jason Ellsworth pled guilty on Monday to a charge of obstructing a peace officer stemming from a May traffic stop outside of Townsend, but he struck a deal with the Broadwater County attorney to have charges of reckless driving and speeding in a construction zone dropped. In open court, Ellsworth also apologized to the […]
Former Gov. Schweitzer endorses Monica Tranel for Congress
Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer is endorsing Monica Tranel in the Democratic primary for the state’s newly created congressional district, the Tranel campaign announced Monday. Schweitzer, who served from 2005 to 2013, ushered in a 16-year period of Democratic governance in the state after interrupting a streak of three Republican governors. He was followed by […]
Philosophy of fairness up for debate in legislative district criteria
State officials this week adopted criteria to help shape Montana’s legislative districts in the current redistricting cycle, concluding the second half of a meeting of the Districting and Apportionment Commission that began with a lengthy debate on congressional criteria earlier in July. As with the adoption of congressional criteria — which consisted both of widely […]
Missoula Democratic Sen. Bryce Bennett resigns
Missoula Senator Bryce Bennett, a fixture of the state Democratic politics for the last decade, is resigning his seat to work for a civics organization in Washington, D.C., he announced Thursday. Bennett has represented the 50th Senate District since 2019. Prior, he represented two Missoula-area House districts from 2011 to 2019. “Even though I’m leaving […]
Suit alleges discrimination and harassment by state contractor
Three former employees of a medical non-profit that contracts with the state filed complaints with a government investigator alleging a years-long pattern of gender-based harassment, discrimination and retaliation by the organization’s director, behavior the complainants say has seeped into the program’s treatment of its participants. The complaints, filed March 17 with the Montana Department of […]
Legislative leader charged with traffic violations, obstructing a peace officer
Senate President Pro Tempore Jason Ellsworth was charged with three misdemeanors resulting from a May traffic stop in Broadwater County and will appear in court in August, according to charging documents shared with the Daily Montanan. Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, was charged with speeding in a construction zone, reckless driving and obstructing a peace officer, according to […]
Official: Fire season stretching resources thin
Montana’s firefighting resources are stretched thin as the state faces down a possibly historic fire season and some of the worst drought on record, state officials testified in a meeting of the Water Policy Interim Commission on Thursday. The state, the rest of the Northern Rockies region and then the country as a whole entered […]
Unanimous Supreme Court rules pair of legislative subpoenas are improper
The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that a series of legislative subpoenas seeking judicial emails in the heat of an inter-branch conflict in April were overbroad and issued without proper legislative purpose, permanently quashing the document requests and ordering lawmakers to return any subpoenaed material they’ve already received. In a unanimous opinion, the court […]
Dem primary for new Montana congressional district heats up
A third Democrat has entered the race for Montana’s newly created congressional district, raising the stakes for an election that could represent the party’s best chance of nabbing a seat in the U.S. House in years. Cora Neumann, a former U.S. Senate candidate from Bozeman with a history of running non-profit issue-advocacy organizations in the […]