A Bozeman fishing guide who announced his bid for the Democratic nomination in Montana's U.S. Senate race late last month is dropping out. A report released today says 81 employees with the federal Bureau of Reclamation are declining national relocation or leaving their positions after the Trump administration reorganized the bureau’s workforce. A landslide is blocking a BNSF Railway freight line in eastern Montana, just west of Miles City.

Whitefish Mountain Resort will begin work this spring to add an additional ski lift and several new runs in the Hellroaring Basin area. The U.S. Department of Education has agreed to delay a new rule that could pull significant funding from rural and low-income schools in Montana. February delivered another round of normal to record-setting snowfall in mountain ranges supplying water to Montana’s rivers and streams.

The New York Times is reporting Governor Steve Bullock is poised to run for the U.S. Senate in Montana. A blockage in a sewer pipe led to an overflow of raw sewage near a ski run at Big Sky Resort in southern Montana. Full funding for a federal purse that supports local conservation projects seems a step closer to reality.

The National Weather Service today issued a red flag warning for parts of central and southeastern Montana due to dry winds that could lead to “extreme fire behavior.” Governor Steve Bullock has created a state task force to prepare for the possible spread of the novel coronavirus in Montana.

Montana schools must test drinking water for lead content following state rule changes affecting school health. The death of a 16-year-old Hardin girl who went missing on New Year's Day has been ruled accidental by Montana authorities. Yellowstone National Park has started capturing bison migrating outside the park, and will hold them for possible slaughter as part of a population reduction program.

The coronavirus outbreak will likely reduce Chinese travel to Yellowstone National Park, according to tourism officials. The Montana Democratic Party primary race for governor has its first ticket pairing. Mike Cooney named House Minority Leader Casey Schreiner as his Lieutenant Governor running mate Friday in Helena. Glacier National Park is searching for a new shuttle service operator after their partnership with Flathead County ended in December.

A change in the way the U.S. Department of Education is determining how schools qualify for rural low-income grants could cost 220 Montana schools a total of $400,000. Montana will receive more than 3 million dollars from the federal government to improve state elections. One of the last and largest wild bison populations in North America has begun its migration out of Yellowstone National Park.

A federal judge in Missoula has ruled a shareholder of the state’s largest utility cannot compel the company to consider his clean energy proposal at an upcoming annual meeting. The Montana Supreme Court heard arguments over how the Public Service Commission should set the rates NorthWestern Energy has to pay for power generated by small solar projects. The new owner of three coal mines in the Powder River Basin has signed an agreement with the U.S. government, giving federal regulators the

Missoula police still have no conclusive evidence that a city patrol car was actually shot last week. Montana’s Attorney General Office is joining a multi-state investigation into the vaping product manufacturer JUUL Labs. The National Park Service has announced plans to build cell towers and install other communications gear throughout Glacier National Park.

A second Montana city is considering a goal to run off 100% clean, renewable energy by 2030. A mental health counselor from Butte has pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicaid by billing the federal program for services she did not provide. An independent review of NorthWestern Energy says the utility company failed to sufficiently factor renewable energy into how it could meet customer demand in the future.