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Wait … so, we’re against diversity, equity and inclusion?
For being a party that allegedly embraces freedom, some Montana Republicans are certainly doing a lot of restricting. Case in point: Sen. Jeremy Trebas, R-Great Falls, wants to prohibit Montana state employees (except those on university campuses) from having to take classes generally considered “DEI” – the acronym that stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. […]
Settlement proposed in class action suit against Montana’s largest city
A case pitting Montana’s largest city against itself has been resolved after the City of Billings and a group of residents suing it for billing practices on water bills has announced a settlement after four-and-a-half years of litigation. The class-action suit centers on fees the city charged to residential users of its water and sewer […]
Montana pension funds take a $3M loss in banking collapse
Montana, at least you’re not Ohio. After last week’s collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, public pension systems began reporting that they were part of the collateral damage done by the banks’ implosion. Ohio topped the list at having nearly $40 million in holdings through Silicon Valley Bank that were likely wiped out […]
TikTok ban in Montana, U.S. may be timely, but not necessarily constitutional
It didn’t start with Elvis, but he and his hips didn’t help. The federal government has been pushing back against the First Amendment almost since the time it was established, including when it tried to jail early political dissenters and publishers by passing “seditious libel” acts. Then, the federal government jailed journalists who disagreed with […]
Flirting with hell: Montana leaders’ approach to homeless problem appalling
There’s a place in hell for those who are cruel to homeless poor people. That’s not some liberal windbag editor pontificating about local and state lawmakers who have taken up the habit of trying to run homeless folks out of their towns and state. Those are the words of none other than Jesus Christ, whom […]
Tester urges Walgreens, CVS to keep abortion medication in Montana
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester of Montana is calling out Walgreens pharmacies for not distributing medication commonly used for abortion in Montana even as a group of Republican attorneys general from 23 states threatened to take action against retailers, pharmacies and doctors that mail them. The pharmacy chain said that a widespread misunderstanding has gotten it […]
Montana poll: Don’t change the constitution, support abortion, fund public schools better
A new poll from Middle Fork Strategies shows that Montana voters aren’t too excited about the prospects of amending the state constitution, support most reproductive rights, including abortion, and believe in keeping the judiciary nonpartisan. Those results come at the beginning of the second half of the 2023 legislative session, which will decide funding for […]
From crisis to crisis: Report details ‘fractured’ system for patients discharged from Warm Springs
Two years ago, a van carrying a woman from the state hospital in Warm Springs was heading to drop the patient off at St. Vincent de Paul in Billings, a center that helps homeless residents. The woman had been a victim of human trafficking and forced prostitution. The center is in downtown Billings. She never […]
Federal judge says COVID measures can’t be used as a defense in nursing home neglect case
A federal judge has ruled the families of three people who died at a nursing home can sue the business, which is not protected by laws Congress passed to exempt care facilities from certain liabilities during the COVID-19 emergency. Attorneys for the estates of Robert Petersen, Mary Ann Simons and Charlotte Guilford have sued Koelsch Senior […]
Montana’s slow war on the public education system
Montana’s teacher shortage, especially in rural areas, has been well documented for years. And yet Montana’s lawmakers believe making rules easier for teachers to lose their entire careers is going to make the teacher shortage better? Even as tone-deaf and doctrinaire as the Republican lawmakers at the Capitol seem to be, they’re really not that […]
Groups take out Helena billboard, criticize bison hunt near Yellowstone National Park
Two environmental groups are calling on officials to stop the slaughter and hunting of bison that wander outside the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park, taking their message to lawmakers with a billboard showing hunters killing the animals at point-blank range. The billboard in Helena, put up by Roam Free Nation and the Alliance for the […]
Ronning talks about campaigning in Montana, the forgotten ag community, and why Dems struggle
Democrats, you could learn a lot from Republicans. That’s one of the key takeaways from Democrat, former Congressional candidate, and former Billings City Councilwoman Penny Ronning. She ran in a tough three-way race against both incumbent Republican Matt Rosendale, who cruised to reelection with nearly 60 percent of the vote, as well as independent candidate […]