News
States prepare for the great abortion ‘what-if’
SACRAMENTO — With access to abortion at stake across America, California is preparing to become the nation’s abortion provider. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders have asked a group of reproductive health experts to propose policies to bolster the state’s abortion infrastructure and ready it for more patients. Lawmakers plan to begin debating the […]
A ‘thanks giving’ dinner of a different kind
Billings Mayor Bill Cole doesn’t just talk about diversity as the leader of municipal government. He wants people to really see Montana’s largest city as diverse. Statistics say Billings is more diverse than average, even by Montana standards. Roughly one in five residents are non-White. In June, Cole led an effort to read a Hindu […]
Success of COVID antiviral pills hinges on speedy, accurate tests
Within a few weeks, perhaps before many Americans finish decorating for the holidays, the U.S. could have access to a new antiviral pill from Merck expected to alter the deadly trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic — with a second option from Pfizer to follow shortly after. Now under federal review, both pills are being hailed […]
Meeting to protest Sidney Health Center vaccine mandate compliance to be held Monday
The Montana Daily Gazette and the political group Conservatives United for Richland County have had a hand in organizing and promoting a private event on Monday that will focus on teaching Sidney Health Center employees how to challenge the hospital’s decision to comply with a federal vaccine mandate necessary to keep Medicaid and Medicare funding. […]
Jury finds McMichaels, Bryan guilty of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder
A nearly all-white jury in a Glynn County courtroom Wednesday afternoon convicted three white men of murder in the death of Ahmaud Arbery as the 25-year-old Black jogger ran through their neighborhood in February 2020. Travis McMichael, seen all over the world in a viral video that shows him firing a shotgun into Arbery at […]
UPDATED: Sen. Theresa Manzella responds to backlash from LGBTQ comments
Hamilton Sen. Theresa Manzella is maintaining comments she made at an event last week that have prompted backlash for being disparaging to the LGBTQ community were taken out of context, though she has not denied making them, nor has she asked the Missoulian, which first reported the remarks, to issue a correction. In response to […]
Sage-grouse protection plans in the West under review by Biden administration
The Bureau of Land Management is updating Obama-era plans to manage the greater sage-grouse in 10 Western states. The BLM has published a request for comments to help update management plans for the bird’s habitat in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and other Western states. The Interior Department agency will review new scientific data, including the […]
St. Peter’s responds to special counsel report, stands by claims of threats from state officials
St. Peter’s Health in Helena responded Wednesday to the release of a legislative report this week about a dispute between the hospital and several state officials arising from an allegation of patient mistreatment, reasserting claims it first made in October that “providers and care team members were threatened and harassed when they refused to administer […]
Biden opens oil reserve to relieve high gas prices—but it won’t be immediate
As gasoline prices spiral ahead of the big holiday travel season, President Joe Biden authorized the release of a record 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Tuesday—complicating his administration’s goal to transition to cleaner energy sources. In prepared remarks, Biden said he coordinated the release from the reserve, a complex of four […]
Yellowstone National Park — home to the world’s largest landslide
Yellowstone is well-known as one of the largest volcanic systems in the world. Few people know, however, that the largest-known subaerial landslide on Earth is located just next door. Among the geologic hazards in the Yellowstone region, you may be familiar with the possibility of earthquakes, hydrothermal explosions, and volcanic eruptions. But what about landslides? We know […]
Jury awards $16.6M for state child and family division not protecting infant
A jury has awarded a 13-year-old girl and her caretaker $16.6 million after attorneys proved that a social worker with the State of Montana’s Child and Family Services division failed to take appropriate precautions to safeguard the victim as an infant, and the subsequent child abuse left her with permanent, debilitating medical conditions and likely […]
‘My patience is almost gone’: AG threatened to file charges in St. Peter’s dispute
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and his top deputy warned St. Peter’s Health in Helena of possible legal action arising from claims of mistreatment made by a COVID-19 patient’s family in October, including that the hospital was not administering a pair of unapproved treatments for the virus prescribed by an outside doctor, according to a […]