1stHeadlinesBreaking News Headlines
Montana · RSS · up to 100 stored headlines · Visit site
The sale of kratom products in retail food businesses in Missoula County will be prohibited beginning in November, as the city-county health department aims to restrict access to the unregulated substance that can have opioid-like effects.
Since the start of his campaign, Seth Bodnar has insisted that there’s political space between Republicans and Democrats where a candidate might find or form a core of Montanans defined and driven by frustrations with partisan conflict and rising costs. Is there a coalition in that space willing to elect Montana’s…
Good morning, Helena. In this issue, we look at local reactions to a potential four-day school week at the East Helena Public Schools. Additionally, the Original Governor’s Mansion is again open for tours, and you can read about downtown Helena’s upcoming slew of Halloween festivities. But first, a weather preview ☀️…
Did a robot take jobs from fry cooks?
Longtime Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito is stepping down to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana.
Montana’s Public Service Commission rejected a petition asking the agency to consider climate impacts. Now the petitioners have sued.
PLUS: MSU celebrates new nursing building, in Missoula.
Two Montana Public Service Commission seats are up for election this year. Candidates running to serve on the PSC would be tasked with regulating monopolies, like utility companies, including new emerging sectors such as power for data centers.
PLUS: Truth in advertising? You be the judge.
Across issues — immigration, wildfire management, abortion and foreign policy — Western District U.S. House candidate Aaron Flint consistently returns to the same line of argument: Montana is under threat from “big government,” “far-left judges” and policies he says have eroded the state’s “way of life.” After years…
A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals hearing could determine whether federal officials reconsider Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Greater Yellowstone and across the West.
Trump didn't specify a location for the site but said that it could support testing of "potential autonomous weapons," space and electronic warfare technology, as well as supersonic and hypersonic weapons.
Diesel prices have spiked since March, a result of the U.S. conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. The increased cost has strained Montana farmers, ranchers and truckers. What can state officials do, if anything, to help ease those economic pressures? One Montana Free Press reader…
President Donald Trump, on tour to motivate voter turnout in hotly contested midterm elections, rallied in Kalispell to praise Republican candidate Aaron Flint and bash his Democratic opponent.
U.S. House candidate Sam Forstag’s economic appeal to voters is equal parts labor, healthcare, tax reform and blue-collar grit. Can a working-class pitch notch a Western Montana win for Democrats?
Lewis and Clark County residents should see their ballots in the mail this week. There are a variety of candidates seeking legislative seats and leadership positions with the county. Here are a few key races in the Greater Helena Area.
‘How Gray Wolves, Monarch Butterflies, and Giant Sequoias Transformed Large Landscape Conservation’ explores transcontinental conservation efforts and the barriers separating wildlife movement.
With the 2026 midterm election three weeks away and absentee ballots mailed to voters Oct. 9, we asked the state’s candidates for federal office how they would address the issue of immigration.
Montana Free Press founder John S. Adams announced that he plans to step down as CEO on June 1, 2027. "For ten years, I've poured my heart and soul into building Montana Free Press, and I couldn't be more proud of what this organization and its supporters have accomplished," Adams said.
Zolnikov called it “absurd” that some Republicans are supporting Tidswell, a write-in candidate, instead of himself, the Republican nominee. He said it boiled down to his own opposition to certain Republican candidates earlier this year. “Because they have been involved in progressive dollars and supporting primary…
John Adams, who founded Montana Free Press a decade ago working out of his pickup, announced on Tuesday that he will step down as CEO of the nonprofit organization.
In addition to casting votes for three-quarters of the state’s congressional delegation, an open state Supreme Court seat, two Public Service Commissioners and legislative candidates, Montanans will also weigh in on three ballot measures in the upcoming election. This year, Montana voters will determine via initiative…
Two candidates for Montana’s Western District U.S. House seat — Republican Aaron Flint and Democrat Sam Forstag — debated in Missoula Oct. 13, exactly three weeks before the Nov. 3 general election. The debate, produced by Montana Free Press and NonStop Local, was hosted by NonStop Local’s Ben Wineman and moderated by…
An attorney for the city of Laurel received a draft copy of the letter about an hour and a half before the meeting last week, the city’s mayor said. He and others with the city watched the hearing and sent a five-page response the next day asking the committee to reconsider and to review a packet of city engineering…
Shannon O’Brien has resigned as chair of the Montana Democratic Party, effective immediately, and endorsed independent U.S. Senate candidate Seth Bodnar, according to a statement published in MS NOW.
President Donald Trump has announced a plan to import about 800,000 tons of diesel fuel from Russia, and Montana Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras issued an executive order that allows some commercial vehicles to use red-dyed diesel on public roads until Nov. 23. Montana ag producers don’t expect the efforts to help.
It's not that property values are dropping at an alarming rate across downtown. Rather, the change is largely attributed to NorthWestern Energy's acquisition of Energy West and to the utility's historic train depot building that had contributed millions to the downtown tax rolls.
PLUS: Ways police keep tabs on their mental well-being
A harrowing two weeks in Great Falls
Catholic school stakeholders described longstanding frustration about operations and a lack of communication from the diocese about sudden changes, including a major "rebrand" of three well-known Catholic schools under the St. Patrick's name.
Four U.S. Senate candidates — Republican Kurt Alme, Democrat Alani Bankhead, independent Seth Bodnar and Libertarian Kyle Austin — debated in Bozeman on Oct. 11, marking Alme’s first debate appearance. Alme, the frontrunner, was the target of the lion’s share of the debate’s attack lines, mostly for backing…
On Oct. 9, local election offices mailed out absentee ballots, which account for the majority of ballots cast in Montana. Many Montanans will have their ballots in hand early next week. Many more are preparing to vote at their local polling place on Election Day, Nov. 3. However you choose to vote, you may have…
Ballots are in the mail, and Missoula County voters will have a variety of races to consider. Although only one county official has a challenger, multiple legislative races are contested.
PLUS: City closes data center loophole
Council to vote on sale of Lampman Park
The president is expected in Kalispell next week, details TBD
This summer was the hottest on record in the contiguous U.S., a staggering statistic that can leave many feeling despondent, said Shanti Devins with Climate Smart Missoula, the nonprofit group that founded Climate Solutions Week. The feeling of hopelessness that can accompany climate change awareness, Devins said, is…
Alani Bankhead attracted the national political spotlight in the final weeks of summer for reasons no U.S. Senate candidate wants. Democrats and Republicans alike waited to see whether the Democratic nominee would end her campaign to clear a path for independent Seth Bodnar. Instead of withdrawing, Bankhead announced…
With the 2026 midterm election a month away and absentee ballots being mailed to voters Oct. 9, MTFP asked the state’s candidates for federal office how they would address Montanans’ healthcare concerns.
A union representing employees at Columbus Metallurgical Complex and Stillwater Mine, which are both owned by a South African company called Sibanye-Stillwater, have ended a month-long strike. United Steelworkers Union 11-0001, which represents about 420 employees across both facilities in south-central Montana…
Flathead National Forest officials rejected a 2022 version of the plan in a preliminary review before any public process got underway. The 2026 proposal varies little from the earlier one, according to Pursuit Chief Operating Officer Gary Rodgers, except to operate year-round instead of seasonally. It would still…
The new initiative requires the county to “immediately” disclose any communications between county employees and anyone “associated or employed by any person or entity in the data center industry,” and to produce electronic copies of all such communications.
Montana begins mailing absentee ballots for the 2026 general election on Oct. 9. The voting method has become dramatically more popular over the past two decades: About 22% of ballots were cast absentee in 2004, compared with roughly 70% cast through absentee ballots in 2024.
The man had been living in Billings for at least two years, police said. During that time, contact with police was “very limited,” but he had an “extensive violent history” from Florida, including burglary, weapons and sex crime charges.
Cascade County voters have a full midterm ballot with some well-known names, some new candidates and at least one legislative race that's seen as a toss-up.
As high-profile claims of election fraud are promoted at the highest levels of government, local elections administrators are the ones left assuaging voters and making sure the tabulators work. We sat down with three election administrators — Dayna Causby of Yellowstone County, Crystal Roascio of Carbon County and…
By the end of the late-night Monday meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to allow the Daily Wire-affiliated movie about an ICE agent doing battle with Antifa protestors and MS-13 gang members to continue. The decision came two days after the commission temporarily paused operations on set, and served as an added…
An absentee ballot requirement that has resulted in thousands of Montana votes being thrown out since 2025 has been ruled unconstitutional by a state judge.
About four-in-five registered voters believe cost of living and affordability are very important in helping them decide who to vote for, according to a Montana Free Press-Eagleton poll of registered voters conducted in late August and early September. With the midterm election a month away, Montana Free Press asked…
PLUS: More controlled burns this week.
PLUS: Great Falls College sees enrollment jump.
As the county has grown, so has crime. Just last week, the county assigned a sergeant full-time to manage risks inside the jail from inmates with gang affiliations, Smart said.
Gov. Greg Gianforte has tapped Larry Flynn to take over as director of the Montana Department of Transportation, replacing Chris Dorrington, who left the top spot at the agency on Oct. 1.
You can start small when practicing financial wellness. It can look like a 10-minute weekly money check-in, setting up automatic savings, asking a question about credit, or joining a workshop to learn how to spot a scam before you get hit.
PLUS: City Council tries to rein in City Council.
The first sheep drive in Reed Point was a “spoof” of The Great Montana Centennial Cattle Drive, a six-day celebration of the state’s 100th anniversary in 1989. Now, 38 years later, the Labor Day tradition still draws a crowd and helps fund the town’s community club.
Trump officials tout 'harm' change to unleash energy agenda, as critics warn it could unravel 50 years of ecological recovery
PLUS: Bodnar guns for conservative cred.
The Gianfortes pledged to donate the Hauser mansion to the state of Montana so the building can serve as the official governor’s residence for future elected officials. That donation is now complete, making the building a public asset. But the state’s acquisition of the historic, multi-floor residence raised a…
Near-record diesel prices are putting pressure on Montana farmers who depend on fuel to run combines, tractors and other equipment, and also increasing the cost of transporting goods once they leave the farm.
More than 16,000 miles of barbed-wire fence fragment Greater Yellowstone. That fencing keeps elk from jumping over and pronghorn from scooting under, disrupting what can be millennia-old migrations.
Healthcare insurance costs for state employees will go up in January, though a bargaining agreement between the Montana Federation of Public Employees and the office of Gov. Greg Gianforte has mitigated some of the spikes that the Montana Department of Administration announced at the end of August.
Park visitors greet news of a potential MLB game in front of the Tetons with disbelief.
Medicaid advocates worry that the expedited timeline in some states will lead to thousands of people losing coverage because they’re confused about the new rules, even if they are eligible for the program — and that Montana may offer a troubling preview of what will happen nationwide next year. State health department…
The move expands Lee's ownership of newspapers in nearly all of the state's major cities, including Helena, Missoula, Billings and Butte. The announcement also comes after years of reduced local news coverage from the Great Falls Tribune. The company sold its landmark waterfront building in 2022, and many of its…
PLUS: Former mayor debuts biography.
PLUS: A bit of context for an internet expansion announcement.
Joe Ricketts founded TD Ameritrade and his family owns the Chicago Cubs baseball team. The billionaire also owns the 1,300-acre Jackson Fork Ranch south of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Ricketts wants to save Greater Yellowstone. But for whom?
About 73% of occupied Montana homes had air conditioning in 2023, according to a new Census Bureau data series. But rates varied widely across the state, from nearly 96% in Custer County to less than 45% in Deer Lodge County. Montana’s overall rate is the fifth-lowest in the nation, and trails all of the states it…
Two decades of Wilderness debate took an unexpected turn on Sept. 9 when Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke announced a bill creating 132,000 acres of new wilderness alongside 181,000 acres of forest restoration areas and 60,000 acres where motorized and bike recreation activity would be permanently authorized. Can…
PLUS: Community steps up to help families of West End tragedy.
PLUS: PSC commissioner to stay suspended
In a letter signed this week, Yellowstone County commissioners asked local legislators to review a new law they said is stopping them from regulating the 5,000-acre project near Broadview by developer Quantica Infrastructure. The letter, approved Tuesday, is addressed to the “Members of the Yellowstone County…
The Montana Supreme Court has vacated its own injunction, which temporarily allowed a proposed data center initiative to appear on the November ballot in Butte-Silver Bow County, less than 48 hours after issuing it. The justices said they would not have granted initiative organizers’ request for an injunction had they…
PLUS: Changing of the Republican guard in the Flathead.
A new statue will replace the state Capitol’s iconic copper “Montana” as part of an extensive renovation of the building’s exterior, according to state officials.
With a midterm election on the horizon, Montana voters say kitchen-table issues such as the cost of living and the economy will influence their ballot choices most, according to a Montana Free Press-Rutgers Eagleton Poll. Living expenses were identified by 80% of voters as very important in determining whom to vote…