Republicans in Montana and in Washington, D.C., are courting popular state Attorney General Tim Fox to step up and run against incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester next year. An environmental organization is urging Montana officials to protect the state financially and ensure a co-owner of the Colstrip power plant pays its share of cleanup and decommissioning costs. Work has begun on a $2.7 million expansion to the cardiology center at Missoula’s Providence St. Patrick Hospital.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock has vetoed a bill that would have allowed government workers to sue if their supervisors obstruct them from communicating with a legislator. A bill that would require the state to study cases of child abuse made progress in the Montana House, today. The Montana legislature is now over halfway through its 90-day session, and the House Appropriations committee began slogging through House Bill 2, which is the state budget.

Montana Republicans have been meeting this afternoon ahead of a vote this evening to select their candidate to face Democrat Rob Quist in the special election for Montana’s U.S. House seat May 25th. Rob Quist won the Democratic nomination yesterday in Helena. A new report details the final moments of a career Flathead National Forest law enforcement officer killed last summer after a chance encounter with a grizzly bear. At this hour Montana’s Republican party has started the selection process

Bozeman technology entrepreneur Greg Gianforte says he has commitments from enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination for Montana's special election for the U.S. House. On his first full day in office, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke issued an order reversing a last-minute action by the Obama administration to ban lead ammunition and fishing tackle used on national wildlife refuges. Montana Republican officials say the GOP's field of prospective candidates for the U.S. House race has

Montana’s former Republican Congressman, Ryan Zinke, is now President Donald Trump’s Interior Secretary. Gov. Steve Bullock has signed four bills that seek to reduce costs within the criminal justice system and to reduce recidivism. Before adjourning for a mid-session hiatus, the Montana House gave final passage to a slate of bills, but rejected - on a tie vote - a proposal that sought to criminalize physician-assisted suicide.

The Montana House of Representatives passed 17 bills on today, including one bill that would create a statewide public lands day. City managers in Whitefish have lifted a boil water advisory issued Monday morning following a burst water main. Greg Gianforte has raised $825,000 to run for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Congressman Ryan Zinke. While Democrats and Republicans at the Montana Legislature may disagree on the approach, they are both highlighting infrastructure and the budget as

The U.S. Senate moved Congressman Ryan Zinke one step closer to becoming Secretary of Interior in President Trump’s administration. By a vote of 67 to 31 with one senator voting “present,” the Senate voted to invoke “cloture,” which means that debate on Zinke’s nomination will end in 30 hours. After that, the Senate is free to vote on Zinke’s nomination at its discretion. The Montana House has voted down a proposal to allow guns in schools. 15 Republicans joined 41 Democrats today to reject the

The Montana House has given initial approval to a measure that would restrict doctors from prescribing more than a seven-day supply of opioid drugs to first-time patients. Dozens of Opportunity residents say federal environmental officials have botched a 34-year environmental cleanup of the toxic metals in their soil, and now they want a shot at it. In a meeting this morning, four Montana House and Senate leaders discussed how to move forward in replacing current political practices commissioner

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. Abortion foes won preliminary passage for a bill that would transform abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy into a medical procedure to save a potentially viable fetus. A Billings radio host's online post suggesting there should be separate post-season basketball tournaments for Native

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines hopes to put pressure on fellow Montana Sen. Jon Tester to support the confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the U.S. Supreme Court. Law-enforcement officials and prosecutors from across the state are supporting what they call a fix to a victims' rights law that voters added to the Montana Constitution last fall. At a ranch near Seeley Lake today, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced he is introducing the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act. The Montana Senate has endorsed