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Montana Free Press
With a lift from truckers, skijoring returns to Boulder
Skijoring is a winter sport, dreamed up over a century ago in Scandinavia, wherein skiers are towed around a track by horses, navigating a series of gates and jumps. This presented a challenge to the Boulder Valley Skijoring Association. Its annual event, Skijoring the Big Rock, is scheduled for Feb. 10 and 11 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Boulder — where there was decidedly no snow. None. A mostly warm and dry winter had left the putative skijoring track a ribbon of dirt and grass.
Conservationists signal intent to sue over decision not to restore wolves’ federal protections
Less than a week after the federal government announced it would not add Northern Rockies gray wolves back onto the list of endangered species, more than a dozen conservation groups on Wednesday forecasted their intention to sue over the decision. Conservation groups argue that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,...
Federal government denies petitions to restore protections for gray wolves
The federal agency that oversees the Endangered Species Act announced late last week that it will not add Northern Rockies wolves back onto the list of threatened and endangered species. In an announcement on Feb. 2, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that its decision was based on its...
Rosendale’s COVID claim is wrong
A fundraising ad for Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale shows a photo of Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, behind bars, swarmed by flying bats. Rosendale, who is eyeing a challenge to incumbent Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, maintains that a Montana biomedical...
Year-end campaign finance filings show shape of Montana’s Senate race
This story is excerpted 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. The year-end 2023 campaign finance filings from Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, confirmed Republican...
Trump surrogate uninvited from Montana GOP event following Rosendale criticism
A political consultant with close ties to the family of former President Donald Trump was invited and subsequently uninvited to speak at the Montana GOP’s winter convention next week, he said, an illustration of the tensions that a possible U.S. Senate primary contest between Tim Sheehy and Matt Rosendale are stoking among Montana Republicans.
Helena officials consider asking taxpayers to fund additional emergency services
The Helena City Commission is considering whether to ask voters to approve added taxes to pay for a new fire station and additional police officers and firefighters. The heads of the local police and fire departments recently told commissioners that more staffing, a new fire station and a training facility are necessary to adequately protect Helena’s growing population. The city’s current funding for emergency services is not sufficient, the commission was told.
Lawmakers want more info about Medicaid redeterminations
This story is excerpted 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. Health care providers, patient advocates and state lawmakers continue to hammer the administration of...
Racicot among former GOP governors wanting Trump off Colorado ballot
This story is excerpted 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. “Should Mr. Trump be permitted to stand again for election to the presidency, despite...
How to decode your NorthWestern Energy bill
Have you ever looked at your power bill and struggled to understand the various rates and charges that dictate how much you owe your utility company? If yes, you’re not alone — even energy professionals can find their bills befuddling. To bridge that knowledge gap, we dug into...
Cascade County sees more twists in elections dispute
Cascade County’s debate over who oversees local elections took several twists in recent weeks as supporters and opponents of a contentious December resolution continue to press their respective cases. The Cascade County Commission on Dec. 12 approved a resolution on a 2-1 vote that relieved Clerk and Recorder Sandra...
Montana Supreme Court rules plaintiffs in election litigation can recover attorney fees
The Montana Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that plaintiffs in a successful court case challenging a 2021 election law are entitled to attorney fees. Generally, Montana courts do not award attorney fees to the victors in lawsuits regarding constitutional questions, a precedent that was solidified in controversial campaign finance litigation more than a decade ago. But the ruling on Jan. 31 establishes that plaintiffs in certain constitutional cases are entitled to fees, something that attorneys in the original lawsuit say may dissuade the state’s attorneys from defending unconstitutional laws.
The Sit-Down: Junior
One day in late September, the singer and multi-instrumentalist Caroline Keys sent a demo recording to her two bandmates in the folk-rock trio Junior. The song, a bittersweet and bluesy waltz, was called “My Band is Moving to Butte.” The song was not fictional — later that fall, multi-instrumentalists and singers Hermina Jean and Jenny Lynn Fawcett packed up their belongings in Missoula and headed east in search of more affordable living in Butte, complicating the band’s existence.
Gianforte rebuts far-right accusations about child protection case
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte is defending the state health department’s actions in an active child protective case against a wave of online criticism from conservative groups, including some far-right, anti-LGBTQ social media accounts, an unusually public commentary from the state’s highest elected official about confidential child welfare proceedings.
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