State News
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Montana water supply outlook good so far
Press release BOZEMAN — As the state enters spring and the typical snowpack peak season, the water supply outlook is currently good across most of Montana. That can be attributed to consistent and mostly above normal... — Updated 4/12/2023
Republicans vote down long- term property tax relief bill
Eric Dietrich Montana Free Press House Republicans voted down a Democrat-backed bill Wednesday that would have used income tax credits to ease the squeeze placed on lower-income homeowners and renters by rising property taxes.... — Updated 2/16/2023
China blasts US over response to Chinese balloon incursion
BEIJING (AP) — China’s ceremonial parliament has accused American lawmakers of trampling on the sovereignty of other nations after the U.S. passed a measure condemning a suspected Chinese spy balloon’s intrusion into U.S.... — Updated 2/16/2023
Lawmakers debate free speech, respect for transgender students
Alex Sakariassen Montana Free Press Lawmakers in the Montana House engaged in pointed debate Wednesday about respect, faith and the ability of transgender, nonbinary and two-spirit students to feel safe in public schools. The discu... — Updated 2/16/2023
US, states weigh farmland restrictions after Chinese balloon
Matthew Brown and Sam Metz Associated Press HARLOWTON - Near the banks of Montana's Musselshell River, cattle rancher Michael Miller saw a large, white orb above the town of... — Updated 2/8/2023
China says balloon is for research, accidentally strayed
Emily Wang Fujiyama, Tara Copp and Lolita C. Baldor Associated Press BEIJING — China’s Foreign Ministry said today that a balloon, seen over locations including Montana, that the U.S. suspects of conducting surveillance was a... — Updated 2/3/2023
House passes bill to fund training missing persons search teams
by Elinor Smith University of Montana Legislative News Service HELENA — The House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would provide $61,000 of the state’s money to pay for a grant program for training local,... — Updated 1/13/2023
House looks at bill to expand sexual assault exam training
by Elinor Smith University of Montana Legislative News Service HELENA— The House Judiciary committee heard testimony Wednesday on a bill that supporters say would address substantial problems with how Montana responds to sexual... — Updated 1/13/2023
Bill to bring oversight to addiction recovery homes sees first hearing
by Mara Silvers Montana Free Press A bill that would bring a degree of regulation to Montana’s sober living homes and incentivize operators to seek accreditation from industry organizations produced conflicting testimony in a... — Updated 1/12/2023
W.R. Grace offers $18.5M to settle Montana asbestos claims
HELENA (AP) — The owner of a former vermiculite mine in northwestern Montana that spread harmful asbestos in and around the town of Libby has offered $18.5 million to settle the last of the state’s claims for environmental dama... — Updated 1/11/2023
Court order changes wolf hunting season, effective immediately
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks HELENA – On Tuesday, a District Court in Lewis and Clark County issued a temporary restraining order impacting some of Montana's wolf hunting and... — Updated 11/16/2022
Judge in Montana orders arrest of neo-Nazi website founder
MISSOULA (AP) — A federal judge Wednesday ordered the arrest of a neo-Nazi website publisher accused of ignoring a $14 million judgment against him for orchestrating an anti-Semitic harassment campaign against a Montana... — Updated 11/10/2022
Updated: How to vote in Montana's Nov. 8 election
Alex Sakariassen Montana Free Press The 2022 general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8, and as absentee ballots have already gone out, odds are that scores of Montanans are already busy filling in their votes. If you’re not registered... — Updated 10/24/2022
5 things to know about Montana's 'born alive' ballot initiative
Matt Volz Kaiser Health News Montana voters will decide Nov. 8 whether to approve a ballot initiative declaring that an embryo or fetus is a legal person with a right to medical care if it survives an abortion or delivery. The meas... — Updated 10/20/2022
Montana man charged in 1993 slaying in West Virginia
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — A Montana man has been charged in a woman’s 1993 slaying in West Virginia, police said. Ricky Louie Woody of Billings, Montana, 59, was charged earlier this month in the March 1993 death of Melissa... — Updated 10/19/2022
Republican operative publicizes ethics complaints against Supreme Court incumbent
Mara Silvers Montana Free Press A prominent Republican operative backing Montana Supreme Court candidate James Brown has filed two ethics complaints against Brown’s opponent in the race, incumbent Supreme Court Justice Ingrid... — Updated 10/18/2022
Physicians want voter pamphlet correction on abortion bill
HELENA (AP) — Two physician groups have asked Montana election officials to issue a correction to statements printed in a voter information pamphlet that they argue are false and could confuse voters as they consider an abortion-... — Updated 10/18/2022
Turf war
Amanda Eggert Montana Free Press Montana livestock-producer groups and two Republican elected officeholders continued their pressure campaign to halt bison grazing on federal lands... — Updated 9/1/2022
Montana's nine-day election laws trial concludes
Alex Sakariassen Montana Free Press Throughout the past two weeks, a steady stream of witnesses have taken the stand in Yellowstone County District Court. Each spoke to the perceived pros or cons of three election administration... — Updated 8/29/2022
Federal report: Zinke misled investigators, violated 'duty of candor'
Arren Kimbel-Sannit Montana Free Press A federal ethics probe has concluded that former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, who is running to represent Montana’s western district in the U.S. House, misled an internal ethics... — Updated 8/25/2022
Gianforte wields 'executive privilege' argument against sensitive records requests
Amanda Eggert Montana Free Press Coming into office last year as Montana's first Republican governor in nearly two decades and looking to implement a muscular conservative agenda... — Updated 8/19/2022
Trial on constitutionality of election law starts in Billings
by Alex Sakariassen Montana Free Press Seated in his wheelchair next to the witness stand in a Billings courtroom Monday, 26-year-old Mitch Bohn calmly responded to a series of rapid-fire questions about his voting habits over the... — Updated 8/17/2022
Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade; states can ban abortion
by MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its... — Updated 6/24/2022
Governor declares disaster for flooding
Gov. Greg Gianforte today declared a statewide disaster due to severe flooding in Carbon, Park, and Stillwater counties, as well as flood warnings in other parts of the state. “With rapid snowmelt and recent heavy rains,... — Updated 6/14/2022
FBI warns of increased reports of fraud targeting seniors in Montana
Federal Bureau of Investigation In recognition of National Senior Fraud Awareness Day May 15, 2022, the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office is raising awareness about an increase in reporting of cyber scams targeting the elderly in... — Updated 5/16/2022