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Bipartisan U.S. Senate bill aims to boost bison tribal management, restoration
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has again introduced a bill that aims to create a permanent bison program within the Department of Interior to help bolster tribal involvement in the restoration and management of the creatures on tribal lands. The Indian Buffalo Management Act, introduced Sept. 22 by Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Markwayne […]
Montana data shows 44% who lost coverage in Medicaid unwinding were kids
Nearly half of the roughly 55,000 Montanans who lost Medicaid coverage through the disenrollment process between April and August were children, according to new data provided to a legislative committee by the Department of Public Health and Human Services. In response to questions from the Health and Human Services Interim Budget Committee, DPHHS provided a […]
Hydropower generation drops in Montana, Pacific NW due to drought
Hydropower generation in the northwest, including Montana, dropped 24% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year mainly because of a snowpack that melted quickly and drought conditions, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in a recent report. Since the region generates about half of the nation’s hydropower, the stark […]
Montana lawmakers vote not to support ‘citizens grand jury’ ballot initiative
After twice rejecting legislation this year that aimed to allow groups of Montanans to form their own grand juries, most lawmakers have not warmed to the idea in the seven months since those bills were tabled. The Legislature’s Law and Justice Interim Committee voted 5-3 Wednesday morning to recommend that Ballot Initiative #8, proposed by […]
Groups sue over changes to Montana voter registration law
Two Montana organizations have sued the Montana Secretary of State, Montana Attorney General and the state’s Commissioner of Political Practices seeking to block enforcement of a law passed and signed this past session that the organizations say puts unnecessary and unlawful burdens on Montanans’ voting rights. The lawsuit claims that House Bill 892, sponsored by […]
State appeals youth climate trial decision to Montana Supreme Court
The State of Montana filed notice with the state Supreme Court that it will appeal a district court’s decision in the Held vs. Montana case that affirmed Montanans’ constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. The notice of appeal from the state came about two weeks after Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge […]
Dozens honor Vietnam veteran with no family at Fort Harrison memorial service
Though he had no blood family left in his final years, there were a host of Veterans Affairs workers and volunteers whom George Peterson did call family. On Friday, they and around 100 others who had never met the man laid him to rest in a ceremony with honors at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery […]
Hunter kills grizzly bear in Beattie Gulch in apparent self-defense
A hunter shot and killed a grizzly bear Tuesday in Beattie Gulch north of Gardiner in what wildlife officials say was self-defense – the sixth time in recent months a person has shot at a grizzly in Montana. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said the bear reportedly charged the hunter before the hunter shot it […]
DEQ asking for input, holding listening sessions on updating Montana Environmental Policy Act
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is holding at least three public sessions next month and has opened a public comment portal to ask for feedback on how to update the Montana Environmental Policy Act, due in part to a judge’s decision this summer regarding greenhouse gas emissions for energy projects. The DEQ opened a […]
Emergency fishing closures start Sunday on stretches of SW Montana rivers
Fishing will close starting Sunday on sections of the Big Hole, Ruby and Beaverhead rivers as part of new fishing regulations on the southwest Montana waterways aimed at protecting spawning brown trout. Stretches of the three popular fisheries in southwest Montana contain spawning beds for brown trout, and the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission in […]
Judge grants restraining order blocking abortion licensure requirement from taking effect
A judge in Helena issued a temporary restraining order temporarily blocking a law set to take effect Oct. 1 that would have required Montana abortion clinics to be licensed in order to operate. Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Christopher Abbott issued the order in part, he wrote, because the state has not developed […]
Billings man charged with threatening to kill Tester, Biden
A Billings man was charged this week with threatening to murder Montana Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and President Joe Biden, according to an indictment unsealed in federal court. Anthony James Cross was indicted on two counts related to the threats on Sept. 14 – threats to injure and murder a U.S. senator and threats […]