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Montana Free Press
What’s next for Matt Rosendale?
Get an insider’s look into what’s happening in and around the halls of power with expert reporting, analysis and insight from the editors and reporters of Montana Free Press. Sign up to get the free Capitolized newsletter delivered to your inbox every Thursday. February 22, 2024. For months,...
Bison transfers to tribes grow as state pushes to shrink Yellowstone herd
FORT PECK — It was the first week of February and the truckers were crunched for time. Buffalo are notoriously wary of new places, even more so in the dark. Robbie Magnan, director of Fort Peck’s Fish and Game Department, floored his Chevrolet Silverado. Three trailers filled with Yellowstone buffalo followed him, wheels spinning in mud.
With Rosendale out of the Senate running, what’s next for the Montana GOP?
This story is adapted from Capitolized, a weekly newsletter featuring expert reporting, analysis and insight from the editors and reporters of Montana Free Press. Want to see Capitolized in your inbox every Thursday? Sign up here. For months, Montana Congressman Matt Rosendale had teased a run for U.S. Senate. Montana...
Land, wealth and higher education
This article is part of a three-part collaborative series produced by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, ICT and Montana Free Press, and utilizes data obtained through the national news nonprofit Grist’s “Land Grab University” investigation. To the motorists locked in midafternoon traffic on Missoula’s Reserve Street corridor, the...
Judge orders redo election for two Kalispell city council wards
Election officials in Flathead County have been directed by a district court judge to redo two Kalispell city council elections conducted last fall in order to remedy a clerical error that resulted in some voters getting ballots for the incorrect council ward. The court order, issued Feb. 16 by Flathead...
Feds push for expanded data collection on Indian Child Welfare Act cases
In an effort to better understand how Native American children are faring in foster care, the Biden administration’s health department is proposing a rule that would require state child welfare systems to gather more data about child removal cases that are subject to the Indian Child Welfare Act. The...
Health care workers push for their own confidential mental health treatment
States are redefining when medical professionals can get mental health treatment without risking notifying the boards that regulate their licenses. Too often, health care workers wait to seek counseling or addiction treatment, causing their work and patient care to suffer, said Jean Branscum, CEO of the Montana Medical Association, an industry group representing doctors.
Helena business owners, officials weigh in on downtown parking issues
Helena business owners and residents raised their concerns with city officials about the cost of parking permits and tickets in the downtown area on Wednesday morning during a Helena Business Improvement District meeting. The city’s Business Improvement District invited city officials and community members to share their thoughts on the...
Long-distance rail route through southern Montana garners another nod from feds
A Chicago-to-Seattle passenger rail route that passes through some of Montana’s most populous counties has been included in a list of 15 long-distance routes tapped for restoration by the federal government. The development marks the second time federal regulators have spotlighted the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority’s efforts to bring additional passenger train service to Montana.
Former Congressman Denny Rehberg announces bid for Montana’s eastern House district
Denny Rehburg, a Republican who represented Montana in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013, is running for Montana’s eastern congressional district this year, he announced on a conservative news radio show Wednesday. Speaking with Montana Talks host Aaron Flint, Rehberg touted his previous experience in Congress...
Montana judge dismisses high-profile child protection case and contempt hearing for Glasgow couple
This article contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”. A highly public child protection case involving a transgender teenager that has stirred up online conservative outrage, created...
Montana prisons still overcrowded after Arizona inmate transfer
Overcrowding at state prison and county jail facilities in Montana continues to be a problem despite the state’s recent transfer of 120 inmates to a private prison in Arizona, officials with the Montana Department of Corrections told lawmakers Tuesday. The transfer of 120 male inmates to CoreCivic’s Saguaro Correctional...
Zinke pitches bill restricting federal land transfers
Western Montana U.S. Rep Ryan Zinke, a Republican up for re-election this year, announced this week that he’s sponsoring bipartisan legislation to restrict the transfer of federal lands to other owners. Representatives from national and statewide sporting and conservation organizations joined the third-term congressman at an event in Bozeman...
State health department returns to near ban on transgender birth certificate changes
The Montana state health department has announced its return to a near prohibition on individuals updating the sex on their birth certificates to match their gender identity, reigniting a civil rights feud with transgender residents that was the subject of a prior lawsuit. In a Tuesday press release, the Gov....
Innovative housing project aims to boost Missoula’s affordability
On a sunny Saturday morning, about two dozen people celebrated the groundbreaking of an innovative affordable housing project in Missoula’s Franklin to the Fort neighborhood. The Mariposa Commons triplex — tucked behind a single-family home on Burlington Avenue — will not only be affordable to its first residents through...
What a deep dive taught us about Montana foster care
The MT Lowdown is a weekly digest that showcases a more personal side of Montana Free Press’ high-quality reporting while keeping you up to speed on the biggest news impacting Montanans. Want to see the MT Lowdown in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. Months ago, when I...
Busse taps Graybill as running mate in bid for governor’s office
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Ryan Busse has tapped a constitutional attorney known for challenging Montana abortion restrictions and other Republican-backed laws to be his running mate against incumbent Republican Greg Gianforte this November. Busse, a former firearms executive who lives in Kalispell, appeared with Raph Graybill in Pablo on Monday night,...
How Montana pays for its public schools, in pictures
Educating Montana’s youth is one of the state’s most costly endeavors and a responsibility shouldered by citizens of all stripes: teachers, parents, voters, taxpayers. It’s a promise baked into the very fabric of the state Constitution, which vows to develop the full educational potential of each citizen. How Montana tries to meet that lofty goal, financially speaking, is a constant point of policy wrangling. The intricacies of school budgeting are also a perennial source of confusion for Montanans who would like to better understand where the money comes from and how it’s spent.
Cascade County names new election administrator
Commissioners in Cascade County Thursday named Terry Thompson as the county’s new election administrator, settling a key question raised after the commission relieved Clerk and Recorder Sandra Merchant of her electoral duties in December. Thompson, former CEO of the Great Falls Association of Realtors, was one of four applicants...
How a Billings court is putting the Indian Child Welfare Act into action
Native American children make up more than a third of the foster care caseload in Montana, despite representing less than 10% of the state’s child population. While there’s a broad consensus among child welfare experts that this outsized representation is a problem, there exists no collective strategy to address it. The Montana Free Press series Keeping the Kids, supported by a data fellowship through the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, explores the available data and highlights examples of local solutions around the state. This article focuses on one specialized recovery court working with families in Billings.
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