Government & Politics
Dems call for Gianforte to reconsider flag proclamation
Democrats in the Montana Senate are urging Gov. Greg Gianforte to order flags across the state to be lowered to half staff, following a proclamation by President Donald J. Trump. Senate Minority Leader Jill Cohenour of East Helena asked Gianforte to reconsider his decision not to lower flags in honor of U.S. Capitol Police Officers […]
Lawmakers consider two bills to regulate transgender youth
A Whitefish Republican wants to ban transgender athletes from competing in K-16 sports — a move a federal judge blocked in a similar bill from Idaho. Idaho District Court Judge David C. Nye said Idaho’s bill “stands in stark contrast to the policies of elite athletic bodies that regulate sports both nationally and globally” when […]
House proposal would emphasize treatment for addiction over jails
The Montana House Judiciary Committee heard a bill today that would update a section of Montana law that will emphasize treatment rather than criminalization when dealing with people suffering from alcoholism or chemical dependency. In what she called a “baby step” to the code related to handling public drunkenness created in 1978 Rep. Kathy Kelker, […]
Glacier Park sees record October, spike in November
Everybody wants to be first in line to make a reservation for the historic Granite Park Chalet or Sperry Chalet inside Glacier National Park. That was one observation Monday from Kevin Warrington, chalet coordinator, the day the backcountry lodges opened for reservations for the 2021 season. “So it’s not unusual for there to be thousands […]
Bill to broaden places firearms can be carried advances
A bill that aims to broaden the places people can legally carry firearms — and strike down the Montana Board of Regents’ authority to regulate guns on college campuses — advanced Monday on party lines. The House Judiciary Committed voted 12-7 to move House Bill 102 forward. The bill is proposed by Rep. Seth Berglee, […]
‘Millions of birds will die’
In July 2011, a pipeline owned by ExxonMobil burst near Laurel, Mont., dumping 42,000 gallons of crude oil into the nearby Yellowstone River. As federal officials reported the damage for weeks afterward, they found American white pelicans, owls and other bird species covered in oil, injured or dead. ExxonMobil agreed to pay $12 million to […]
Second lawmaker announces COVID-19 diagnosis
Rep. Fiona Nave, a Republican from Columbus, has tested positive for COVID-19, the Legislature announced Monday afternoon. Nave, the second legislator to come forward with a positive diagnosis, has not been at the state capitol in person since the legislative session began. She received her test results yesterday, according to an announcement from Sen. Jason […]
Biden: Republicans “irresponsible” to refuse masks while sheltering during riot
WASHINGTON—President-elect Joe Biden on Monday chastised GOP lawmakers for refusing to wear masks while they were held in a safe location as a violent mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol last week. As lawmakers waited for law enforcement to secure the Capitol on Wednesday, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) went around a packed room […]
You fooled us once. Let’s make sure there’s not a next time
We have a crisis of credulity in this country. We’ve become a nation of dupes. The inability of far too many Americans to separate fact from fantasy, and the people who are eager to take advantage of that failure, are the root of the rot in our country. The consequences, long evident, should now be […]
Gianforte: Scott Osterman to lead Commerce
HELENA – Gov. Greg Gianforte announced Monday his nomination of Scott Osterman to lead the Montana Department of Commerce. “Getting our economy going again, getting Montana open for business, and getting Montanans back to work and thriving in good-paying jobs require a strong leader at the Department of Commerce,” said Gianforte in a news release. […]
Politics is a family business for Speaker Galt
Peel back the layers of Montana’s political history and you will quickly encounter the Galt family. Or just drive around central Montana. There’s a chance you’ll travel on Galt Road in the northeast Helena valley, or more likely, that you’ll end up near the family’s considerable land holdings, the bulk of which are centered around […]
Biden to ship all available vaccine doses to states
WASHINGTON — More COVID-19 vaccine doses will be available to states sooner under changes that the incoming Biden administration is expected to make to how the Trump administration has been allocating those shots. That’s according to comments a Biden transition spokesman made to CNN on Friday, indicating that President-elect Joe Biden will shift to “releasing available doses immediately.” […]