COVID plans put to test as firefighters crowd camps

HELENA — Jon Paul was leery entering his first wildfire camp of the year late last month to fight three lightning-caused fires scorching parts of a Northern California forest that hadn’t burned in 40 years.

VALLEY PRESS-MINERAL INDEPENDENT | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

COVID plans put to test as firefighters crowd camps for peak wildfire season

HELENA — Jon Paul was leery entering his first wildfire camp of the year late last month to fight three lightning-caused fires scorching parts of a Northern California forest that hadn’t burned in 40 years.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Tiny Montana school to be among first in US to reopen

A tiny public school in Montana will be among the first in the U.S. to resume classroom teaching this week after being closed for nearly two months due to the coronavirus pandemic

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

77-year-old retired teacher first Montana coronavirus death

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The first person in Montana to die of a coronavirus-related illness was a high school biology teacher from Washington state who had retired about a decade ago to a lakeside home near the Cabinet Mountains.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock to run for Senate against Daines

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said Monday he will run against first-term Republican Sen. Steve Daines, giving Democrats a boost in their effort to take control of the Senate in November.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Bullock to run for Senate against Daines

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock will file Monday to run against first-term Republican Sen. Steve Daines, giving Democrats a boost in their effort to take control of the Senate in November.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

AP sources: Montana Gov. Bullock considering Senate race

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Steve Bullock, the Montana governor who has insisted he won’t run for the Senate, is poised to do just that, according to two people familiar with his plans.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Montana Gov. Bullock considering Senate race

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Steve Bullock, the Montana governor who has insisted he won’t run for the Senate, is poised to do just that, according to two people familiar with his plans.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Montana Gov. Bullock considering Senate race

Montana's governor, Steve Bullock, is poised to run for the U.S. Senate

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Bullock squashes talk of Senate run after presidential bid

HELENA — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said Wednesday that he doesn’t know what’s next for him after his longshot presidential bid fizzled, but he knows one thing for sure: He’s not running for Senate.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 4 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Krakauer: Court ruling on privacy hurts right to know

HELENA — Author Jon Krakauer said he feels “a moral obligation” to fight a recent court ruling against him as he tries to obtain records detailing how the expulsion of a University of Montana quarterback over a rape allegation was overturned.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Krakauer: Court ruling on privacy hurts right to know

HELENA — Author Jon Krakauer said he feels “a moral obligation” to fight a recent court ruling against him as he tries to obtain records detailing how the expulsion of a University of Montana quarterback over a rape allegation was overturned.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Author Krakauer denied records on rape case against player

HELENA — Author Jon Krakauer’s five-year quest to find out how and why Montana’s top higher education official intervened to prevent a star college quarterback’s expulsion over a rape accusation stalled Wednesday when the state Supreme Court denied him access to those records.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Author Krakauer denied records on rape case against player

HELENA — Author Jon Krakauer’s five-year quest to find out how and why Montana’s top higher education official intervened to prevent a star college quarterback’s expulsion over a rape accusation stalled Wednesday when the state Supreme Court denied him access to those records.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Deal lets luxury ski club keeps its liquor licenses

HELENA — Montana officials won’t pull the liquor licenses of an ultra-exclusive ski resort that counts Bill Gates and Justin Timberlake among its members as part of a $370,000 settlement agreement with Yellowstone Club owners and executives, including one who is a major campaign donor to Gov. Steve Bullock.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Deal lets luxury ski club keeps its liquor licenses

HELENA — Montana officials won’t pull the liquor licenses of an ultra-exclusive ski resort that counts Bill Gates and Justin Timberlake among its members as part of a $370,000 settlement agreement with Yellowstone Club owners and executives, including one who is a major campaign donor to Gov. Steve Bullock.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Montana State Auditor Matt Rosendale announces US House run

HELENA — Montana Republicans’ 2020 election lineup shuffled again Monday after U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte decided to run for governor instead of re-election, with State Auditor Matt Rosendale jumping into the now-open House race seven months after failing to unseat U.S. Sen. Jon Tester.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Montana State Auditor Matt Rosendale announces US House run

HELENA — Montana Republicans’ 2020 election lineup shuffled again Monday after U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte decided to run for governor instead of re-election, with State Auditor Matt Rosendale jumping into the now-open House race seven months after failing to unseat U.S. Sen. Jon Tester.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Judge blocks Stapleton from overruling Bullock veto

HELENA — A constitutional dispute between Montana’s Democratic governor and Republican secretary of state escalated on Friday when a judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking Secretary of State Corey Stapleton from enrolling into state law a bison bill that Gov. Steve Bullock vetoed in April.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Bullock joins 2020 Democratic presidential race

HELENA — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announced Tuesday that he is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, distinguishing himself among nearly two dozen candidates as the field’s only statewide elected official to win a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2016.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Bullock joins 2020 Democratic presidential race

HELENA — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announced Tuesday that he is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, distinguishing himself among nearly two dozen candidates as the field’s only statewide elected official to win a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2016.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Bullock signs sports betting bill

HELENA — Montana became the first state to legalize sports betting this year after Gov. Steve Bullock signed a bill Friday for the state lottery to oversee a system of wagering through kiosks and mobile applications that could be running by fall.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Bullock signs sports betting bill

HELENA — Montana became the first state to legalize sports betting this year after Gov. Steve Bullock signed a bill Friday for the state lottery to oversee a system of wagering through kiosks and mobile applications that could be running by fall.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Montana attorney general announces campaign for governor

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana's attorney general announced his candidacy for governor on Thursday, joining what's expected to be a crowded Republican field as the GOP tries to win next year's open seat and put an end to 16 years of Democratic rule.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Montana attorney general announces campaign for governor

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana's attorney general announced his candidacy for governor on Thursday, joining what's expected to be a crowded Republican field as the GOP tries to win next year's open seat and put an end to 16 years of Democratic rule.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Neo-Nazi's attorney calls ruling dangerous for free speech

HELENA — A federal judge’s decision to allow a lawsuit to proceed against the publisher of a neo-Nazi website is “dangerous for free speech,” the publisher’s attorney said Thursday.

WHITEFISH PILOT | UPDATED 5 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO

Case against neo-Nazi publisher will proceed

HELENA — The First Amendment’s free-speech protections do not shield a neo-Nazi website publisher from being sued for a “troll storm” by his readers that led to hundreds of anti-Semitic threats against a Jewish woman and her family, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

WHITEFISH PILOT | UPDATED 6 YEARS AGO

Case against neo-Nazi publisher will proceed

HELENA — The First Amendment’s free-speech protections do not shield a neo-Nazi website publisher from being sued for a “troll storm” by his readers that led to hundreds of anti-Semitic threats against a Jewish woman and her family, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS AGO

Case against neo-Nazi publisher will proceed

HELENA — The First Amendment’s free-speech protections do not shield a neo-Nazi website publisher from being sued for a “troll storm” by his readers that led to hundreds of anti-Semitic threats against a Jewish woman and her family, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS AGO

Greg Gianforte wins first full House term in Montana

HELENA — U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte defeated Democratic challenger Kathleen Williams in a Montana U.S. House race that wasn’t decided until Wednesday morning, a win that gives the Republican incumbent his first full term after overcoming renewed attention on his attack against a reporter last year.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS AGO

Greg Gianforte wins first full House term in Montana

HELENA — U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte defeated Democratic challenger Kathleen Williams in a Montana U.S. House race that wasn’t decided until Wednesday morning, a win that gives the Republican incumbent his first full term after overcoming renewed attention on his attack against a reporter last year.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS AGO

Daines will use private jet to vote, if needed

HELENA — U.S. Sen. Steve Daines will take a private jet back to Washington D.C. on his daughter’s wedding day if Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court comes down to his vote, the Montana Republican said Friday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Daines will use private jet to vote, if needed

HELENA — U.S. Sen. Steve Daines will take a private jet back to Washington D.C. on his daughter’s wedding day if Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court comes down to his vote, the Montana Republican said Friday.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Jury: Jehovah's Witnesses must pay $35M to abuse survivor

HELENA — The Jehovah’s Witnesses must pay $35 million to a woman who says the church’s national organization ordered Montana clergy members not to report her sexual abuse as a child at the hands of a congregation member, a jury ruled in a verdict.

VALLEY PRESS-MINERAL INDEPENDENT | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Groups spend big fighting ballot initiatives

HELENA — Industry-funded opponents of Montana citizen’s initiatives to raise the state’s tobacco tax and add new mining regulations are vastly outspending the measures’ supporters to put their messages in front of voters about a month before Election Day, according to campaign finance reports.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Groups spend big fighting ballot initiatives

HELENA — Industry-funded opponents of Montana citizen’s initiatives to raise the state’s tobacco tax and add new mining regulations are vastly outspending the measures’ supporters to put their messages in front of voters about a month before Election Day, according to campaign finance reports.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Tester a 'no' vote on Kavanaugh confirmation

HELENA — Montana U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said Friday he’ll vote against Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court, removing himself from the short list of undecided Democratic senators who are up for re-election in states won by President Donald Trump.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Tester a 'no' vote on Kavanaugh confirmation

HELENA — Montana U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said Friday he’ll vote against Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court, removing himself from the short list of undecided Democratic senators who are up for re-election in states won by President Donald Trump.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Jury: Jehovah's Witnesses must pay $35M to abuse survivor

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Jehovah's Witnesses must pay $35 million to a woman who says the church's national organization ordered Montana clergy members not to report her sexual abuse as a child at the hands of a congregation member, a jury ruled in a verdict.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Jury: Jehovah's Witnesses must pay $35M to abuse survivor

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Jehovah's Witnesses must pay $35 million to a woman who says the church's national organization ordered Montana clergy members not to report her sexual abuse as a child at the hands of a congregation member, a jury ruled in a verdict.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Jehovah's Witnesses accused of mishandling abuse in Montana

HELENA — Two women who say they were sexually abused as children have alleged that the Jehovah’s Witnesses failed to report their abuser to authorities in Montana and instead punished him internally by expelling him from the congregation until he repented the following year.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Jehovah's Witnesses accused of mishandling abuse in Montana

HELENA — Two women who say they were sexually abused as children have alleged that the Jehovah’s Witnesses failed to report their abuser to authorities in Montana and instead punished him internally by expelling him from the congregation until he repented the following year.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Montana governor touts ability to win in Trump country

Montana’s Democratic governor was in Iowa on Thursday railing against money’s corrupting influence in government and talking up his ability to win in Trump country, but he continued to deflect questions about his plans for a 2020 presidential run.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Official: Russian hackers targeted 2016 Montana election

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana's top elections official said Friday that Russian hackers unsuccessfully probed the state's election systems for weaknesses in 2016, an acknowledgment that contradicts his staff's previous comments that Montana was not among the 21 or more states targeted.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Official: Russian hackers targeted 2016 Montana election

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana's top elections official said Friday that Russian hackers unsuccessfully probed the state's election systems for weaknesses in 2016, an acknowledgment that contradicts his staff's previous comments that Montana was not among the 21 or more states targeted.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Bullock says Medicaid rates among budget cuts to be restored

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said Wednesday that the state budget is back on track nearly a year after his administration projected a huge shortfall, and that some funding that had been cut will be restored to health programs for the elderly and disabled.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Bullock says Medicaid rates among budget cuts to be restored

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said Wednesday that the state budget is back on track nearly a year after his administration projected a huge shortfall, and that some funding that had been cut will be restored to health programs for the elderly and disabled.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Trump urges Tester's ouster at rally for Montana Republican

GREAT FALLS, (AP) — President Donald Trump declared it was “time to retire” U.S. Sen Jon Tester on Thursday as he campaigned in Montana against the lawmaker he blames for derailing his nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Trump urges Tester's ouster at rally for Montana Republican

GREAT FALLS, (AP) — President Donald Trump declared it was “time to retire” U.S. Sen Jon Tester on Thursday as he campaigned in Montana against the lawmaker he blames for derailing his nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Interior watchdog reviews Zinke's ties to Halliburton boss

HELENA — The U.S. Interior Department’s inspector general is looking into a complaint about a land deal that links Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and the head of energy services giant Halliburton in Zinke’s hometown of Whitefish, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Interior watchdog reviews Zinke's ties to Halliburton boss

HELENA — The U.S. Interior Department’s inspector general is looking into a complaint about a land deal that links Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and the head of energy services giant Halliburton in Zinke’s hometown of Whitefish, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

MT seeks judge's order to ban Hecla official

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana environmental regulators asked a judge on Monday to ban the head of a giant mining company from exploring or opening any new mines in the state until he is no longer in violation of Montana’s “bad actor” law.

BONNER COUNTY DAILY BEE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Montana fire season forecast to be big, despite snowy winter

HELENA — A soggy Montana may still be recovering from spring flooding after one of the snowiest winters on record, but state officials are preparing for what is forecast to be an above-average wildfire season starting next month.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Montana fire season forecast to be big, despite snowy winter

HELENA — A soggy Montana may still be recovering from spring flooding after one of the snowiest winters on record, but state officials are preparing for what is forecast to be an above-average wildfire season starting next month.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Rosendale and Tester won't debate in Whitefish

HELENA — Republican Matt Rosendale won’t participate in a debate against Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester because it was scheduled on Father’s Day, his campaign spokesman said Monday.

WHITEFISH PILOT | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Rosendale and Tester won't debate in Whitefish

HELENA — Republican Matt Rosendale won’t participate in a debate against Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester because it was scheduled on Father’s Day, his campaign spokesman said Monday.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Rosendale and Tester won't debate in Whitefish

HELENA — Republican Matt Rosendale won’t participate in a debate against Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester because it was scheduled on Father’s Day, his campaign spokesman said Monday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Rosendale, Williams win primaries

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana State Auditor Matt Rosendale will challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in November as Republicans look to take back Tester’s seat and complete a sweep of Montana’s congressional delegation.

WHITEFISH PILOT | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Rosendale, Williams win primaries

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana State Auditor Matt Rosendale will challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in November as Republicans look to take back Tester’s seat and complete a sweep of Montana’s congressional delegation.

HUNGRY HORSE NEWS | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

GOP takes Trump-Tester feud to Montana voters

HELENA — Republicans are taking out an attack ad against Sen. Jon Tester in an attempt to make good on President Donald Trump’s pledge that the Montana Democrat will pay for scuttling his Department of Veterans Affairs nominee.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

GOP takes Trump-Tester feud to Montana voters

HELENA — Republicans are taking out an attack ad against Sen. Jon Tester in an attempt to make good on President Donald Trump’s pledge that the Montana Democrat will pay for scuttling his Department of Veterans Affairs nominee.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

It's Trump vs. Tester in Big Sky Country

WASHINGTON — With a flat-top haircut, three missing fingers and an impressive girth, Sen. Jon Tester has somehow kept a low profile in Congress. That’s until he caught the attention of Americans — and President Donald Trump — by airing startling allegations that toppled Veterans Affairs nominee Ronny Jackson.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

It's Trump vs. Tester in Big Sky Country

WASHINGTON — With a flat-top haircut, three missing fingers and an impressive girth, Sen. Jon Tester has somehow kept a low profile in Congress. That’s until he caught the attention of Americans — and President Donald Trump — by airing startling allegations that toppled Veterans Affairs nominee Ronny Jackson.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Former U.S. Sen. John Melcher of Montana dies at 93

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. John Melcher, a Montana Democrat who narrowly lost a bid for a third term in 1988 just days after a wilderness bill he championed was vetoed, has died. He was 93.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Former U.S. Sen. John Melcher of Montana dies at 93

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. John Melcher, a Montana Democrat who narrowly lost a bid for a third term in 1988 just days after a wilderness bill he championed was vetoed, has died. He was 93.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Bullock travels to Iowa as he explores possible run

HELENA — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock wrapped up a two-day tour of Iowa on Friday to campaign for that state’s Democratic attorney general and test the waters for a possible 2020 presidential run.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Bullock travels to Iowa as he explores possible run

HELENA — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock wrapped up a two-day tour of Iowa on Friday to campaign for that state’s Democratic attorney general and test the waters for a possible 2020 presidential run.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Plan to block new gold mining near Yellowstone moves forward

HELENA — U.S. government officials are moving forward with a plan to block new gold mining claims in the mountains north of Yellowstone National Park with Thursday’s release of a draft analysis of the proposal’s effects on the environment.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Ex-Dem chairman seeks Green Party qualification data

HELENA — A former Montana Democratic Party chairman appears to be laying the groundwork for a possible challenge to the secretary of state’s certification of the Green Party for the ballot in this year’s state elections.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Student protests, counter-protest held in Montana, Wyoming

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Students and gun-control advocates in Montana and Wyoming joined protesters who rallied across the nation Saturday, galvanized by the students-turned-advocates who survived last month's Florida school shooting.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

GOP challengers to Tester meet in first US Senate debate

HELENA — Each of the four candidates seeking the Republican nomination for Montana’s U.S. Senate election this fall said Thursday that he has the best shot of ousting Democratic incumbent Jon Tester.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

GOP challengers to Tester meet in first US Senate debate

HELENA — Each of the four candidates seeking the Republican nomination for Montana’s U.S. Senate election this fall said Thursday that he has the best shot of ousting Democratic incumbent Jon Tester.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

AP FACT CHECK: A look at Tester's support of banking bill

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Democratic senators who supported the banking bill that recently passed the Senate have come under fire from others in their party for backing changes in rules that were meant to deter a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

AP FACT CHECK: A look at Tester's support of banking bill

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Democratic senators who supported the banking bill that recently passed the Senate have come under fire from others in their party for backing changes in rules that were meant to deter a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Green Party candidate was on state GOP payroll

HELENA — A man who registered as a Green Party candidate for Montana’s U.S. Senate race was on the state Republican Party’s payroll and heads a newly formed anti-tax group, according to a review of election documents.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Green Party candidate was on state GOP payroll

HELENA — A man who registered as a Green Party candidate for Montana’s U.S. Senate race was on the state Republican Party’s payroll and heads a newly formed anti-tax group, according to a review of election documents.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Tester woos Trump voters in tough re-election campaign

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is trying to woo the voters who gave President Donald Trump a lopsided election victory in Montana by touting his ability to pass bills the president will sign despite acrimonious partisanship in Washington.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Tester woos Trump voters in tough re-election campaign

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is trying to woo the voters who gave President Donald Trump a lopsided election victory in Montana by touting his ability to pass bills the president will sign despite acrimonious partisanship in Washington.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 6 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Montana looks at cuts to fill budget shortfall

HELENA — Montana plans to cut programs and services to fill a projected $227 million budget shortfall in the midst of a disastrous drought and dozens of wildfires that are draining the state treasury.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Montana looks at cuts to fill budget shortfall

HELENA — Montana plans to cut programs and services to fill a projected $227 million budget shortfall in the midst of a disastrous drought and dozens of wildfires that are draining the state treasury.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Montana asks FEMA head to ease wildfire assistance requests

HELENA — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock asked the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday to make it easier to request U.S. government assistance as dozens of fires burning across the drought-stricken state drain its treasury and exhaust its emergency reserve funds.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Montana asks FEMA head to ease wildfire assistance requests

HELENA — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock asked the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday to make it easier to request U.S. government assistance as dozens of fires burning across the drought-stricken state drain its treasury and exhaust its emergency reserve funds.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Judge overturns ruling on grizzly status

HELENA — Animals and plants can be considered endangered even if they are not on the brink of extinction, a judge ruled in overturning the U.S. government’s re-classification of a small population of grizzly bears living in the forests of Montana and Idaho near the Canada border.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Judge overturns ruling on grizzly status

HELENA — Animals and plants can be considered endangered even if they are not on the brink of extinction, a judge ruled in overturning the U.S. government’s re-classification of a small population of grizzly bears living in the forests of Montana and Idaho near the Canada border.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Drought spreads and intensifies across Northern Plains

HELENA — The drought plaguing eastern Montana and much of North and South Dakota came on quickly and is intensifying, leading ranchers to sell their cattle and farmers to harvest early whatever crops that have grown so far this summer.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Drought spreads and intensifies across Northern Plains

HELENA — The drought plaguing eastern Montana and much of North and South Dakota came on quickly and is intensifying, leading ranchers to sell their cattle and farmers to harvest early whatever crops that have grown so far this summer.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Wildfires cost state $21 million to date

HELENA — Montana has nearly depleted its $63 million firefighting reserve fund after budget cuts swept away nearly half the money and the state spending as much on wildfire suppression efforts last month as it did in the 12 months before that, state officials said Tuesday

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Health law uncertainty balloons insurance rates

HELENA — Not knowing what Congress and President Donald Trump will do with health care has led Montana’s largest insurer to propose a rate hike for next year that’s 10 times higher than it would have otherwise, company officials said Wednesday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Health law uncertainty balloons insurance rates

HELENA — Not knowing what Congress and President Donald Trump will do with health care has led Montana’s largest insurer to propose a rate hike for next year that’s 10 times higher than it would have otherwise, company officials said Wednesday.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Glacier chief pulled from Facebook founder's tour of park

HELENA — President Donald Trump’s Interior Department prevented Glacier National Park’s superintendent from accompanying Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on a recent park tour to save money, not to mute criticism over climate change, a spokeswoman for the agency said Thursday.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Glacier chief pulled from Facebook founder's tour of park

HELENA — President Donald Trump’s Interior Department prevented Glacier National Park’s superintendent from accompanying Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on a recent park tour to save money, not to mute criticism over climate change, a spokeswoman for the agency said Thursday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Eco-group billboard blitz to greet Interior chief in Montana

HELENA — Environmental groups plan to crash the homecoming in Montana next week of President Donald Trump’s Interior Department secretary with billboards, television ads and speeches to pressure him on issues from national monuments to sage grouse.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Officials to lift Yellowstone grizzly protections

HELENA — Protections that have been in place for more than 40 years for grizzly bears in the Yellowstone National Park area will be lifted this summer after U.S. government officials ruled Thursday that the population is no longer threatened.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

No headline

HELENA — Protections that have been in place for more than 40 years for grizzly bears in the Yellowstone National Park area will be lifted this summer after U.S. government officials ruled Thursday that the population is no longer threatened.

HUNGRY HORSE NEWS | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Gianforte calls for civil politics

BOZEMAN (AP) — Montana’s incoming congressman called for civility in politics on Friday, four days after his conviction for assaulting a reporter who asked him a question about health care.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

No headline

HELENA — Tom Morgan, a past owner of the R.L. Winston Rod Company whose quest to build flawless fly fishing rods continued long after he was paralyzed by multiple sclerosis, has died. He was 76.

HUNGRY HORSE NEWS | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Gianforte calls for civil politics

BOZEMAN (AP) — Montana’s incoming congressman called for civility in politics on Friday, four days after his conviction for assaulting a reporter who asked him a question about health care.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Gianforte apologizes to reporter for assault before election

HELENA — Newly elected U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte of Montana issued an apology letter Wednesday and said he plans to donate money to a journalism advocacy organization as part of a settlement agreement with a reporter he is accused of assaulting.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Gianforte apologizes to reporter for assault before election

HELENA — Newly elected U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte of Montana issued an apology letter Wednesday and said he plans to donate money to a journalism advocacy organization as part of a settlement agreement with a reporter he is accused of assaulting.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Montana to switch how it counts wolves in the state

HELENA (AP) — Montana wildlife officials say the way they count wolves is too expensive and falls far short of an actual population estimate, so they plan to switch to a model that uses information gathered from hunters.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Montana to switch how it counts wolves in the state

HELENA (AP) — Montana wildlife officials say the way they count wolves is too expensive and falls far short of an actual population estimate, so they plan to switch to a model that uses information gathered from hunters.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Budget, fuel tax, other policy changes highlight session

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The 2017 Montana legislative session that ended Friday was dominated by debates over infrastructure and how to tighten the budget, but it also included bills to make significant changes in tax policy, health care, energy, campaign finance and other areas.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

No deal: Infrastructure negotiations collapse

HELENA — Dozens of Montana schools that were counting on state funding to replace crumbling roofs and old boilers are out of luck. The same goes for rural areas looking to upgrade their aging water systems and colleges and universities that planned to expand or renovate buildings on their campuses.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Budget, fuel tax, other policy changes highlight session

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The 2017 Montana legislative session that ended Friday was dominated by debates over infrastructure and how to tighten the budget, but it also included bills to make significant changes in tax policy, health care, energy, campaign finance and other areas.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

No deal: Infrastructure negotiations collapse

HELENA — Dozens of Montana schools that were counting on state funding to replace crumbling roofs and old boilers are out of luck. The same goes for rural areas looking to upgrade their aging water systems and colleges and universities that planned to expand or renovate buildings on their campuses.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Trump Jr.'s prairie dog hunt in Montana prompts backlash

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Donald Trump Jr. will be targeting more than just Montana's Republican voters on Friday and Saturday when he helps Greg Gianforte campaign for an open U.S. House seat.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Trump Jr.'s prairie dog hunt in Montana prompts backlash

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Donald Trump Jr. will be targeting more than just Montana's Republican voters on Friday and Saturday when he helps Greg Gianforte campaign for an open U.S. House seat.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Political practices chief confirmed in whirlwind 24 hours

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana lawmakers on Thursday confirmed "one of our own," as one senator put it, as the next commissioner in charge of making sure they follow campaign laws and of enforcing any violations they commit.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Montana House gives initial OK to contribution limit boost

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Montana House endorsed a measure Thursday that would raise campaign contribution limits for state candidates and change how the commissioner of political practices enforces campaign violations.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Political practices chief confirmed in whirlwind 24 hours

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana lawmakers on Thursday confirmed "one of our own," as one senator put it, as the next commissioner in charge of making sure they follow campaign laws and of enforcing any violations they commit.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Montana House gives initial OK to contribution limit boost

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Montana House endorsed a measure Thursday that would raise campaign contribution limits for state candidates and change how the commissioner of political practices enforces campaign violations.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Governor, GOP negotiating deal on tax policy in final days

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Gov. Steve Bullock is negotiating with Republican Senate leaders in the final days of the legislative session to pass three tax credit and tax cut bills that he favors in exchange for tax policy measures that they want.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Governor, GOP negotiating deal on tax policy in final days

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Gov. Steve Bullock is negotiating with Republican Senate leaders in the final days of the legislative session to pass three tax credit and tax cut bills that he favors in exchange for tax policy measures that they want.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Senate panel trims proposed increase to Montana fuel tax

HELENA — A Senate panel on Tuesday trimmed a proposed increase to the state’s fuel tax previously passed by the Montana House to pay for road and bridge projects.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Democrats try again to raise taxes on wealthiest Montanans

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers pressed again Thursday to raise taxes on the wealthiest Montanans to boost revenue and ease proposed cuts to fix a state budget shortfall, even though Republicans have twice tabled similar proposals this session.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Education advocates turn to Senate to fix budget reductions

HELENA — Education officials and advocates pressed Montana senators on Wednesday to add money to the state budget where the House wouldn’t, including for the university system, special education, the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind and the Montana Digital Academy.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Republicans come up with separate infrastructure bills

HELENA — After two months of closed-door negotiations to resolve one of the top issues of the Montana legislative session, House and Senate Republicans have written separate bills that contain different plans on funding public works and building projects.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Bill seeks voter referendum on transgender bathroom use

HELENA — A Montana lawmaker introduced a bill Friday calling for a voter referendum on whether to ban transgender people from school and public restrooms and locker rooms that don’t match their gender at birth.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Veterans faced health referral delays nearly half the time

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana military veterans who were referred to health specialists in 2015 faced delays in getting appointments or receiving needed medical services nearly half the time, and those delays may have harmed four patients, according to a report released Friday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Veterans faced health referral delays nearly half the time

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana military veterans who were referred to health specialists in 2015 faced delays in getting appointments or receiving needed medical services nearly half the time, and those delays may have harmed four patients, according to a report released Friday.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

GOP courts Montana attorney general to challenge Tester

HELENA — Ryan Zinke was the Republican Party’s first choice to take on incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in 2018 and re-claim the seat that would give Montana an all-GOP congressional delegation.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

GOP delegates pick Gianforte as House candidate

HELENA — Technology entrepreneur Greg Gianforte and musician Rob Quist will square off in a special election to fill the Montana U.S. House seat left vacant by Ryan Zinke’s departure to become President Donald Trump’s interior secretary.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

GOP delegates pick Gianforte as House candidate

HELENA — Technology entrepreneur Greg Gianforte and musician Rob Quist will square off in a special election to fill the Montana U.S. House seat left vacant by Ryan Zinke’s departure to become President Donald Trump’s interior secretary.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Democrats jockey for votes ahead of Montana House convention

HELENA — Musician Rob Quist tours 130 days a year with the Mission Mountain Wood Band and Rob Quist and Great Northern, but for the past couple of months, he’s been appearing before a different kind of audience.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Gianforte says he can secure GOP nomination for Zinke's seat

HELENA (AP) — Technology entrepreneur Greg Gianforte says he has commitments from enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination for Ryan Zinke’s former seat in the U.S. House, but another Montana contender said Thursday he doesn’t believe Gianforte has the votes locked down.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Gianforte says he can secure GOP nomination for Zinke's seat

HELENA (AP) — Technology entrepreneur Greg Gianforte says he has commitments from enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination for Ryan Zinke’s former seat in the U.S. House, but another Montana contender said Thursday he doesn’t believe Gianforte has the votes locked down.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Governor calls for May 25 election to replace Zinke

HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock says a special election will be held May 25 to fill Montana’s vacant seat in the U.S. House.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Montana budget picture starts shaping up amid cash shortfall

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A budget analysis shows the work that the Montana Legislature has done so far this session would leave the state in the black financially but with about half the cash reserves that Gov. Steve Bullock wants.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock vetoes 2 gun bills

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock vetoed his first two bills of the legislative session on Thursday, one that would have allowed guns in post offices and another that would have eliminated the need for concealed weapons permits.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock vetoes 2 gun bills

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock vetoed his first two bills of the legislative session on Thursday, one that would have allowed guns in post offices and another that would have eliminated the need for concealed weapons permits.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Bullock to lawmakers: Cut your own spending first

HELENA (AP) — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock used his veto power Thursday to send a message to lawmakers: Cut your own spending before reducing other government agencies’ budgets.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Bullock to lawmakers: Cut your own spending first

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock used his veto power Thursday to send a message to lawmakers: Cut your own spending before reducing other government agencies' budgets.

BIGFORK EAGLE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Campaign regulator can remain until replacement is confirmed

HELENA (AP) — The Montana Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl’s term has expired, but he can remain in office until a successor is found.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Panel hears pleas to approve long-delayed building projects

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Military veterans, college students and history supporters made passionate pleas Friday to Montana lawmakers to finally approve the building projects they've been requesting for years.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Montana House endorses whistleblower measures

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Montana House gave initial approval Friday to bills that would add protections for public workers who allege government waste, fraud or abuse within their agencies.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Proposals reconsider loosening gun laws

HELENA — Proposals to loosen gun restrictions in Montana are being revived by Republican lawmakers who are undeterred by their rejection in the past and with no assurance they stand a better chance of passing during the current state legislative session.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Rabbis plan response to white supremacist threats in Montana

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Orthodox Jewish rabbis said Wednesday they will counter white supremacists' harassment of the Jewish community in the Montana town of Whitefish by sending students to visit the Auschwitz concentration camp and by mailing a Torah to every Jewish family in the state.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Agencies volunteer to return $5.5M to help state budget

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana government agencies volunteered Thursday to return a combined $5.5 million that had been budgeted to them this year, which is about $15 million short of what Republican legislative finance leaders had been seeking to help the state's bottom line.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Montana wildlife agency appeals ruling it broke ethics laws

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana's fish and wildlife agency is appealing a ruling that it violated the state's ethics laws by allowing equipment it owns to be used to advocate against a ballot initiative.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

As Montana Legislature starts its 65th session, budget battle looms

HELENA (AP) — Just before the Montana Legislature gaveled in its 2017 session Monday, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock looked to ease the tension building over a looming budget battle by calling on the two parties to work together for the state’s best interests.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Political practices commissioner to remain in office for now

HELENA — Montana’s commissioner of political practices will remain in office until a state judge rules on a lawsuit seeking to keep Commissioner Jonathan Motl in office for a full six-year term.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Newspaper: Butte citizens have lost faith in Superfund talks

HELENA (AP) — Confidential Superfund settlement negotiations to clean up a century's worth of mining waste in Butte need to be opened to the public because residents have lost faith that the U.S. government will protect their interests, an attorney for a Montana newspaper said Tuesday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 7 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Governor's budget includes new taxes on wealthy, marijuana

HELENA (AP) — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock proposed Tuesday to create new taxes on the wealthy and medical marijuana in an attempt to bolster state revenues that have stagnated amid a downturn in oil and coal production.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS AGO

Montana lawmakers to look at raising their pay 82 percent

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Future Montana lawmakers would receive an 82 percent pay raise or more compared to what they're making now under a measure to be considered next week by a legislative panel.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS AGO

Marijuana patients have lengthy wait until limit is lifted

HELENA (AP) — Montana voters may have successfully reversed severe restrictions state lawmakers imposed on medical marijuana, but patients will have to wait nearly eight months before they can step into a dispensary again.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS AGO

Lawmaker sues Montana commissioner of political practices

HELENA (AP) — A Montana lawmaker sued Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl on Friday for saying the legislator faces penalties for revealing a confidential ethics complaint he filed against Gov. Steve Bullock, a lawsuit Motl said was timed to sway voters in a close governor’s race.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS AGO

Gianforte leads nation in ads by a state candidate

HELENA (AP) — Montana residents inundated with TV ads about gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte now have proof of just how much they’ve seen of him: A nonprofit investigative journalism organization says he’s aired more campaign ads than all other candidates in the nation seeking to win statewide elections.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS AGO

Group behind Supreme Court ads disputes state filing order

HELENA (AP) — An organization that has spent $268,000 to influence a Montana Supreme Court election doesn't need to register as a political committee with the state, an attorney for the group said in a letter to Montana's commissioner of political practices Wednesday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS AGO

County official challenges law on nonpartisan candidates

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A Lincoln County official is asking a federal judge to strike down a Montana law that bars nonpartisan candidates from campaigning as Republicans or Democrats.

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 8 YEARS AGO

Juneau says she would change discourse on gays and lesbians

GREAT FALLS (AP) — Montana's first openly gay federal candidate said Wednesday that electing her to Congress would be a historical event that could change the discourse about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual people.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Montana House Debate

Democrat Denise Juneau, center, answers a question as Libertarian Rick Breckenridge, left, and Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke look on during a congressional debate, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016 in Great Falls, Mont. Juneau and Breckenridge are challenging Zinke, who is seeking a second term (AP Photo/Matt Volz)

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Anti-marijuana group presses to add initiative to ballot

HELENA — Sponsors of an anti-marijuana initiative that failed to qualify for November’s ballot are claiming they submitted enough signatures to put the measure before the voters, but that thousands of names were lost or wrongly rejected by county officials.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Montana voters back Trump

HELENA — Montana voters boosted Donald Trump's lock on the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday, as Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock and his GOP rival, Bozeman businessman Greg Gianforte, easily defeated token opponents in their primary elections.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Judge reinstates campaign limits

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Court strikes down last piece of anti-immigrant law

HELENA — The Montana Supreme Court has barred state officials from reporting the immigration status of people seeking state services, striking down the last piece of a voter-approved law meant to deter people who are in the U.S. illegally from living and working in Montana.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Former Montana Sen. Burns dies at 81

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Judge weighs whether caps on donations are justified

HELENA — What Montana officials call evidence of corruption that justifies the state’s low campaign contribution limits is really just democracy in action, an attorney for individuals, groups and political organizations trying to strike down the limits said Monday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Judge to decide penalties in next phase of dark money case

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Jury: Montana lawmaker illegally coordinated with dark-money groups

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Motl Jon

Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl, left, and state Rep. Art Wittich, second from right, speak to their legal teams after the first day of Wittich's campaign finance trial in Helena, Montana, on March 28, 2016. Motl accuses Wittich of taking illegal corporate contributions from groups associated with the National …

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Jury to begin deliberating Bozeman Republican's dark money case

HELENA — Testimony in the trial against a Montana lawmaker accused of taking illegal corporate contributions ended Friday with a tense exchange between Rep. Art Wittich and the special prosecutor appointed to make the case against him.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Court Wittich

District Judge Ray Dayton, center, addresses the attorneys during jury selection in the dark money trial of a Montana lawmaker in Helena, Mont., Monday, March 28, 2016. Rep. Art Wittich, second from right at table, is accused of taking illegal corporate contributions during his 2010 election campaign. (AP Photo/Matt Volz)

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Court rejects appeal to close Montana primaries

HELENA — The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal seeking to close Montana's Republican primary elections to only GOP-registered voters.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

New lawsuit challenges Montana campaign finance law

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A national gun-rights group has filed a lawsuit seeking to strike down parts of Montana's new campaign finance law as an unconstitutional violation of free speech.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Last defendant in standoff still at large

The last named defendant in the armed occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge was still at large Tuesday, drawing calls for supporters to flock to his Northwest Montana hometown and a local sheriff to urge outsiders to stay of it.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Supreme Court rules on Wyoming-Montana water dispute case

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Complaint backlog cleared; prosecutions remain

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Montana court limits commercial sales of medical marijuana

HELENA (AP) — The Montana Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that medical marijuana providers should be paid for their services but it clamped down on commercial sales of the drug by limiting providers to no more than three patients each.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

State to use corruption ruling to defend contribution restrictions

HELENA — A second Montana judge has ruled there was corruption in the state’s 2010 Republican primary elections, with candidates pledging loyalty to a national anti-union group’s cause in exchange for thousands of dollars in illegal and unreported corporate campaign contributions.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Lieutenant governor flap highlights blurred lines

HELENA — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said Friday that he uses private email to communicate with staff only about political or campaign-related issues, but he acknowledged the line between politics and state business sometimes gets blurry.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Man freed after 3 decades in prison calls moment 'surreal'

DEER LODGE — A Montana man who spent three decades behind bars for a murder he says he did not commit walked out of prison Friday after the governor granted his clemency request.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 8 YEARS, 12 MONTHS AGO

Columnist fired after writing article critical of donor

HELENA (AP) — Ducks Unlimited has cut ties with a longtime field editor and columnist for the conservation group’s magazine after he wrote an article critical of a former board member’s legal fight over public access on his land in Montana.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS AGO

Public mulls exclusion of religious schools from tax credit

HELENA — Public-school advocates argued Thursday that a state agency correctly determined the Montana Constitution prohibits private religious schools from participating in a new scholarship tax credit program, while private-school supporters said the Department of Revenue overstepped its bounds.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS AGO

Montana seeks court ruling to end medical marijuana sales

HELENA — Montana is in the fifth year of a legal fight to severely restrict how medical marijuana is grown and distributed, even as attitudes in other parts of the nation appear to be shifting toward more tolerance for the drug.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS AGO

Audit finds Montana railroad safety lacking

HELENA — An audit finds that Montana’s railroad safety falls short at a time of high oil train traffic that is only expected to increase.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS AGO

Weather patterns may lead to drought next year, experts predict

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Afghan military deserter arrested at Havre rail stop

HELENA — An Afghan military officer who deserted last month while participating in a training program in the U.S. was arrested on a Washington-state bound Amtrak train, U.S. Border Patrol agents said Thursday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Fugitive found after 3-day manhunt

HELENA — Montana authorities found an exhausted and suicidal fugitive holed up in an abandoned homemade trailer littered with rat droppings, ending a three-day search for the man accused in a shooting death, officials said Thursday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Killer grizzly put down at Yellowstone

HELENA — Yellowstone National Park officials put down a grizzly bear Thursday after DNA tests confirmed it attacked and killed a hiker last week, a park spokeswoman said.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Government seeks ruling against miners, protesters

HELENA — Federal prosecutors asked a judge on Tuesday to prevent two miners and their armed supporters from blocking access to public land and threatening government officials over a dispute with the U.S. Forest Service in western Montana.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Oil-train derailment spills 35,000 gallons

BILLINGS — Four tank cars leaked an estimated 35,000 gallons of oil after a train hauling fuel from North Dakota derailed in rural northeastern Montana, authorities said.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Montana Confederate Memorial

A memorial to fallen Confederate soldiers is pictured in Helena. City officials are meeting next week to discuss the memorial's future in the wake of the Charleston, S.C., church shootings.(AP photo/Matt Volz)

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Family Killed-Suicide

Detective Steve Barclay stands in front of the fire-damaged cabin near Deer Lodge where a man shot and killed his wife and three children Sunday morning. (AP photo) set a fire in the family's remote cabin and then killed himself, officials in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County said. Detective Steve Barclay said …

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

'Mocking' may have preceded murder-suicide

ANACONDA — A southwestern Montana man told an acquaintance that he shot his family and planned to kill himself because his wife had been “mocking him and riding him all day,” law enforcement officers said.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Family murder-suicide

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Hunting group wants to see more aggressive hunting near Idaho border

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Montana wildlife officials want to keep the existing rules in place for the upcoming wolf hunting and trapping season, saying last week they think they've hit on the right formula in how they manage the predators.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Commissioner renews 2012 campaign charges against Rick Hill

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Court sets high bar on campaign donation caps

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that a state can cap political donors’ campaign contributions only if it proves those limits are preventing corruption or the appearance of corruption.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 9 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Daines defeats Curtis in Montana U.S. Senate race

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO

Montanans go to the polls

Voters fill out their ballots in Helena, Mont., Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. The midterm elections will decide two federal offices, 125 state legislative seats, multiple judgeships and two legislative referendums. (AP Photo/Matt Volz)

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO

Campaign law challenge before appeals court

HELENA — A group whose tax-exempt status allows it to keep its donors and spending secret is asking a federal appeals court to block several Montana laws regulating campaign contributions and expenditures before next Tuesday’s elections.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO

Supreme Court Elections

Montana Secretary Of State Linda McCulloch holds up a mailer she says may have violated the law by appearing to come from the state, at a news conference in Helena, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. The mailers are part of a Stanford University and Dartmouth College political science research project, and …

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO

Montana Supreme Court race takes on partisan edge

HELENA — A nonpartisan race for Montana Supreme Court has taken a distinctly partisan edge, with challenger Lawrence VanDyke trying to cast Justice Mike Wheat as a liberal activist judge as his Republican backers pour tens of thousands of dollars into ads to support that message.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO

John Lewis

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO

High court won't hear Sanders County case on party endorsements

HELENA — Mark French really wants to tell Montana voters which Republican Party officials have endorsed him in next month’s election, but he won’t be getting any help from the U.S Supreme Court.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS AGO

Montana proposes expanded hunting confidentiality

HELENA — Wildlife officials are proposing to keep confidential the names of hunters and trappers who kill any wildlife in Montana, saying that information that can be obtained under the state’s right-to-know laws is being used to threaten and harass.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Secret judicial misconduct proceedings challenged

HELENA — A former Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Senate may talk about a misconduct complaint he filed against a Montana judge last year without fear of prosecution, a federal judge has ordered, despite state regulations that keep such complaints secret.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

'We need to keep this seat, period'

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Walsh leaving race? Senator in seclusion at Helena home

HELENA — Sen. John Walsh was taking personal time at his Helena home as his campaign canceled events and avoided questions about whether the Montana Democrat plans to remain in the U.S. Senate race amid allegations that he plagiarized a research paper.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Closures of sage-grouse areas OK'd

HELENA — The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a plan Thursday to close all or parts of 32 counties to sage-grouse hunting and to shorten the hunting season from two months to one.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Judge strikes down Montana immigrant law

HELENA — A Montana judge struck down most of a 2012 voter-approved law requiring government officials to conduct immigration checks on anybody seeking services provided by the state — from unemployment benefits to crime-victim assistance.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Horrific crash kills six people

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Agreement ends Missoula sex-assault inquiry

The Missoula County Attorney’s Office will change the way it responds to reports of sexual assaults under an agreement announced Tuesday that ends a federal investigation into whether gender bias played a role in deciding whether to prosecute rape cases.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Steve Daines

Participants in the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State gathering ask U.S. Rep. Steve Daines questions in Helena on Monday, June 2, 2014. Daines won the GOP U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Matt Volz).

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

State agency agrees not to issue elk-kill permits

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Shootings test 'stand your ground' laws

A Montana man is accused of setting a trap and blindly blasting a shotgun into his garage, killing a 17-year-old German exchange student. A Minnesota man is convicted of lying in wait in his basement for two teenagers and killing them during a break-in.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Man charged in shooting gets death threats

A Missoula man charged in the shooting death of a 17-year-old exchange student in his garage is receiving death threats and is afraid to leave his home, his attorney said Tuesday.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Russians inspect Montana nuclear launch facilities

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Court OKs Medicaid petitions

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Candidates try to stand out in crowded GOP field

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Commissioner says Senate leader broke campaign law

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Slide rescuers battle rain, exhaustion

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Nuns ask federal judge to keep lawsuit in place

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Candidates removed from ballot

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Groups allege illegal coordination by Zinke

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Walsh

Lt. Gov. John Walsh defending himself in Helena, Mont., on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014, against reports that he was reprimanded by the U.S. Army in 2010 for using his position as Montana adjutant general to solicit National Guard memberships to a private organization. Walsh, who is running for U.S. Senate, …

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Regional John Walsh

Lt. Gov. John Walsh defending himself in Helena, Mont., on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014, against reports that he was reprimanded by the U.S. Army in 2010 for using his position as Montana adjutant general to solicit National Guard memberships to a private organization. Walsh, who is running for U.S. Senate, …

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Newlywed pleads guilty to second-degree murder

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — After lying to family, friends and police about what happened to her new husband when he disappeared in July, a Montana woman finally came clean to a federal judge in a surprising end to her murder trial.

WHITEFISH PILOT | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Brother: Bride lied repeatedly about man's death

MISSOULA — The teenage brother of a Kalispell woman on trial for murder in the death of her new husband broke down Tuesday on the witness stand as he described his anger over her lies about what happened.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Trial underway in newlywed killing case

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 10 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Documents unsealed: Accused bride Graham wanted 'cops out of it'

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS AGO

Browning senator charged, pleads guilty in tribal court

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS AGO

Regional Park Ranger

Lyle Ruterbories speaks with a visitor to the Kintla Lake Campground in Glacier National Park, Mont., on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013. Ruterbories is the National Park Service's oldest ranger at age 93. Visitors who haven’t been to Kintla in a decade still greet him like a long-lost uncle. (AP Photo/Matt …

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Bride pleads not guilty

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

State studies background checks for mentally ill

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO

Governor Steve Bullock

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock talks about the state's Labor Day report on Friday, Aug. 30, 2013, in Helena, Mont. The report says Montana this year should regain all the jobs it lost during the recession, but lower productivity and an aging workforce are cause for concern. (AP Photo/Matt Volz)

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Regional Montana Pot

FILE - In this May 3, 2013, file photo, U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter discusses the end of a three-year investigation into Montana medical marijuana in a news conference in Helena, Mont. With the number of registered pot providers in the state topping 4,800, with billboard ads and huge greenhouses operating …

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Keeping their crayons

HELENA, Mont. - Medical marijuana businesses worried that federal agents will close them down now have a roadmap to avoid prosecution, courtesy of the Justice Department's decision to allow legal pot in Colorado and Washington state.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Judge apologizes for rape comments

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

A passion for pasties

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Regional Tribal Corruption

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Rostad stands before a wall marking the prosecutions to date in the Guardians Project in Great Falls, Mont., Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013. The two-year-old project seeks to curb theft of federal funding on Montana's seven Indian reservations, and 25 people have been indicted to date. (AP …

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

6 charged in Montana tribal program for kids

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Dad pleads not guilty in brutal death of son

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Man charged with slaying of son, 3

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Medical Marijuana

Drug Enforcement Agent In Charge Brady MacKay, left, and U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter discuss the end of a three-year investigation into Montana medical marijuana providers May 3, 2013, in Helena, Mont. Cotter says the 33 providers convicted used the state's medical marijuana law as a guise to conduct drug-trafficking operations. …

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Regional Medical Marijuana

Drug Enforcement Agent In Charge Brady MacKay, left, and U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter discuss the end of a three-year investigation into Montana medical marijuana providers May 3, 2013, in Helena, Mont. Cotter says the 33 providers convicted used the state's medical marijuana law as a guise to conduct drug-trafficking operations. …

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Regional Assisted Suicide 1

This April 24, 2013 photo shows a scrum of reporters and legislators forms around state Sens. Jason Priest, back left to right, Jon Sesso and Art Wittich as they discuss their dispute over a budget bill that delayed the end of the legislative session in Helena, Mont. Wittich and Priest …

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Regional Tribe Stimulus

Chippewa Cree tribal leader John "Chance" Houle, left, walks out of U.S. District Court in Great Falls, Mont., after being arraigned on Tuesday, May 7, 2013. Houle and four others are accused of diverting federal stimulus funds. The Chippewa Cree Tribe received $33 million in federal funding between 2009 and …

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Regional Assisted Suicide

This April 24, 2013 photo shows State Sen. Edward Buttrey, R-Great Falls, left, and Rep. Jesse O'Hara, R-Great Falls, speak during the final Senate floor session on in Helena, Mont. Both legislators have at times sided with Republicans unhappy with the Legislature's conservative faction. The conflict between the emerging GOP …

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Firm to halt oil work near park

A Colorado exploration company will stop drilling next to Glacier National Park, with company officials saying they haven’t located enough oil and gas to continue after 14 wells and more than a decade of work.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Montana man kills Sportsman Channel host

HELENA, Mont. - A northwestern Montana man shot and killed the host of the Sportsman Channel show "A Rifleman's Journal" in an apparent jealous rage while the TV personality was visiting the shooter's wife, police said Friday.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO

Bullock Swears In

Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike McGrath, right, swears in Gov. Steve Bullock as Bullock's family looks on, Monday, Jan. 7, 2013, in Helena, Mont. Bullock's inauguration was followed by the opening of the 2013 legislative session. (AP Photo/Matt Volz)

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Agency seeks expansion of wolf hunting, trapping

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

USDA agency agrees to improve records requests

HELENA, Mont. - The federal agency responsible for protecting animal and plant health has agreed to improve how it responds to public-records requests after a Montana wildlife advocacy group claimed the agency regularly put off responses to Freedom of Information Act queries.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Glacier Oil Development

Snow covers the entrance sign to Glacier National Park Dec. 11, 2012, in West Glacier, Mont. Glacier officials are concerned about the effects of oil and gas development on the Blackfeet Indian reservation, and are asking for an in-depth study on the environmental impacts. Blackfeet tribal officials say they are …

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO

Pot Williams

FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2012 file photo, Chris Williams stands in front of the U.S. District Courthouse in Helena, Mont. Williams took a stand as the only Montana medical marijuana provider to reject a plea deal with the government and insist on a jury trial instead. His conviction …

THE WESTERN NEWS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Jesus statue challenge salvaged by local atheist

A lawsuit seeking the removal of a Jesus statue near a Montana ski resort will go on after a national group of atheists and agnostics produced a local member who says he is offended by the religious symbol whenever he swooshes down the slopes.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Bullock edges Hill in gubernatorial race

Democrat Steve Bullock has won the election for Montana governor over Republican Rick Hill.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Third candidate enlivens campaign debate

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

National association gives disputed money to campaign

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Rick Hill

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

State GOP gives $500,000 to Hill campaign

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS AGO

Wilderness search under way for Marine

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Suspended Montana quarterback denies rape charge

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Montana regulators also investigating adopted kids' ranch

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Activists targeting Eureka Ranch

The Russian government officials arrived with a Moscow television crew in tow at the gates of a ranch for adopted children in Eureka and demanded to be let inside.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Montana Wildfires

A golfer tees off as his partner watches a wildfire burning in the Scratchgravel Hills on Monday in Helena. Scorching heat and high winds caused wildfires to break out across southwestern Montana, forcing the evacuation of more than 200 homes. This fire grew to 700 acres and destroyed at least …

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Author faces civil suit over memoirs

GREAT FALLS, Mont. - Regardless of whether claims are true that author Greg Mortenson fabricated portions of "Three Cups of Tea," neither he nor his publisher can be held liable because the First Amendment protects exaggerations or lies in memoirs, his publisher's attorney said Wednesday.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO

Montana fires football coach, AD

The University of Montana fired football coach Robin Pflugrad and athletic director Jim O'Day on Thursday, adding more uncertainty to a program already dealing with sexual assault allegations against two players.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

UM fires football coach, athletic director

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Wendy's has a beef with franchisee

Wendy’s International has a beef with a franchisee that owns 11 fast-food restaurants in Montana, Oregon and Washington, including one closed restaurant in Whitefish.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO

Montana group monitors polar bear migration

HELENA, Mont. - In the harsh, remote wilds of the Canadian tundra, a wolverine scampers up to a polar bear snoozing near the shore of the Hudson Bay. The bear rises and makes a half-hearted charge, driving away the fierce, badger-like animal.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS AGO

Native American leader Elouise Cobell dies at 65

HELENA (AP) - Elouise Cobell, the Blackfeet woman who led a 15-year legal fight to force the U.S. government to account for more than a century of mismanaged Indian land royalties, died Sunday. She was 65.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS AGO

Women sue Boy Scouts over 1970s sex abuse

HELENA — Five women who were sexually abused by a scout leader in the 1970s when they were children in a Montana co-ed program sued the Boy Scouts of America on Wednesday, saying the organization should be held responsible for the man's actions.

DAILY INTER-LAKE | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Grizzly captured, but link to death unknown

BILLINGS, Mont. - Yellowstone National Park officials captured a grizzly bear Friday near the site of a fatal attack, but they were not sure whether it is the bruin responsible for a Michigan hiker's death last week, a park spokesman said.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Lightning strikes start fires

HELENA, Mont. - More than 42,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the Northern Rockies in a 36-hour period, sparking new wildfires in Montana and Idaho in addition to the dozens already burning across the region, fire officials said Tuesday.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

The Gypsy and David Copperfield

VIRGINIA CITY, Mont. - The Gypsy sat for decades in a restaurant amid the Old West kitsch that fills this former gold rush town, her unblinking gaze greeting the tourists who shuffled in from the creaking wooden sidewalk outside.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO

Grizzly bear will be left alone

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. - A grizzly bear that mauled a 57-year-old hiker to death in Yellowstone National Park was only defending its cubs and had not threatened humans before. So park officials on Thursday decided to leave it alone to wander the backcountry.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Park visitation up but finances weak across US

HELENA, Mont. - Closed parks, fewer services and more volunteer help are some of the ways states are coping with steep budget cuts that could limit vacations and long summer weekends for campers and outdoor lovers seeking recreation closer to home. Nationally Park Service budgets have also been hit, but …

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Lawsuit seeks to stop megaload hauls

HELENA, Mont. - Missoula County and three environmental groups filed a lawsuit Friday asking a judge to prevent an oil company from hauling oversized equipment through Montana to the oil sand fields in Alberta, Canada.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Wolverine protection has to wait

HELENA, Mont. - The threat of climate change warrants classifying wolverines as threatened or endangered, but other species are in more imminent danger and will delay protection for the small, ferocious mammals, wildlife officials said Monday.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO

Escapees head toward Canada

HELENA, Mont. - Authorities Tuesday focused on western Montana and southwest Canada in the search for an escaped convict from Arizona and his suspected accomplice who fashion themselves a present-day "Bonnie and Clyde."

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Wolf hunt in doubt

HELENA, Mont. - A federal judge on Thursday reinstated protections for wolves in Montana and Idaho, saying the government made a political decision in removing the protections from just two of the states where Northern Rocky Mountain wolves roam.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO

Cannabis caravans halted in Montana

HELENA, Mont. - A Montana advocacy group is shutting down its traveling medical marijuana clinics amid criticism that the so-called cannabis caravans have added thousands of people to the state registry without conducting thorough patient screenings.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Native Americans upset over inaction

HELENA, Mont. - Caught in the Senate filibuster of a bill to extend unemployment payments is a $3.4 billion government settlement with hundreds of thousands of American Indians over claims that the Interior Department mismanaged their land trust accounts.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO

Judge hears arguments in federal wolf case

MISSOULA, Mont. - A federal judge heard arguments Tuesday on whether gray wolves in Montana and Idaho should be protected once more under the Endangered Species Act and whether those states can ensure the species won't be wiped out under their management.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Wolves will have their day in court

HELENA, Mont. - A federal court hearing today could decide how the federal Endangered Species Act is interpreted, and whether the government can use political considerations in choosing how and where a species can be listed under the act, according to people on both sides of the issue.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO

Nuke heartland anxious about missile cuts

JUDITH GAP, Mont. - Here in America's nuclear heartland, where underground missile silos dot the landscape, a proposed U.S.-Russia treaty to reduce nuclear weapons is nothing short of alarming.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO

Montana gives more authority to kill wolves

HELENA, Mont. - Montana will give federal wildlife officials greater authority to trap and shoot wolves that have killed livestock, loosening a policy that has been criticized by ranchers and hunters as ineffective in managing the state's growing wolf population.

COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO