Trump administration reverses itself, restores $2 billion in mental health, substance abuse grants
Helena school board approves changes to district boundaries
Constitutional climate litigation lands before 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Everything you need to know about Montana’s rural health windfall
Four years of legalized adult-use marijuana in Montana produces more than $1 billion in sales
What will be the fate of the governor’s mansion?
Hundreds statewide hold vigils to mark the death of the Minnesota woman killed by ICE agent
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NEWSLETTERS
Former judge-elect sentenced to probation in drug case
A Lake County attorney who was elected judge but resigned before even taking the bench was sentenced to three years of probation in the very courtroom he was once going to oversee.
Montana pediatrician group pushes back against CDC vaccine changes
A Montana pediatrician weighs in on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s decision to revise the routine schedule for childhood immunizations.
Group refiles corporate political spending ban days after court setback
The Transparent Election Initiative, an anti-dark money group, filed with the Montana Secretary of State two ballot initiatives that aim to prevent corporate political spending. The filing came just two days after the state Supreme Court found an earlier version of the initiative legally insufficient.
MSU’s head coach earns at least $180k in bonuses after historic football season
Montana State University football coach Brent Vigen earned more than a trophy after the Bobcats’ championship. That win and other successes during the season brought the head coach at least an additional $180,000, almost two-thirds the amount of his base salary.
New buildings, business in Lodge Grass are symbols of recovering from pervasive meth addiction
In Lodge Grass, an estimated 60% of the residents age 14 and older struggle with drug or alcohol addictions. But signs of renewal are emerging. In recent years, the town has torn down more than two dozen abandoned buildings. Now, for the first time in decades, new businesses are going up.
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FEATURED HEADLINES
The Shelter Gap
Housing insecurity touches almost everyone in tribal communities in Montana. Its causes and consequences are deep-rooted, confoundingly complex, and often overlooked. The Shelter Gap documents Indian Country’s housing crisis, investigates the root causes of chronic housing shortages on reservation land, and highlights what’s possible when residents achieve stable housing.
Why two Libby asbestos victims may never receive an $8 million judgment
In a court appearance before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, attorneys for BNSF Railway are expected to push to reverse a 2024 jury verdict stemming from Libby’s asbestos contamination, arguing that the company didn’t know it was transporting hazardous materials. In court filings, BNSF has also said it is protected by a federal law that requires railroad companies to carry products across state lines.
After brother’s suicide, Blackfeet sisters are creating a horse-based alternative to talk therapy
Wyatt Mad Plume took his own life two years at age 29. Ever since, Wyatt’s sisters Lynn and Erika have been trying to turn their grief into something concrete and purposeful. Specifically, they want to provide free mental health resources to community members in the company of horses, animals their brother loved. Local men in particular, Lynn and Erika say, tend to resist talk therapy. They hope an alternative, informed by a blend of emerging mental health research and longstanding cultural traditions, might help reduce the likelihood of a death like their brother’s.