Montana News

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.

The people who manage the Berkeley Pit want to use lasers and cannons to try to save lives of migratory birds. Thousands of geese were killed last fall in the poisonous water of Butte’s Berkeley Pit . It was an environmental catastrophe that Mark Thompson hopes is never repeated.

Montana Democrats picked songwriter and musician Rob Quist as their candidate for the special election in May that will determine who will represent the state in the U.S. House of Representatives. “Who better than a musician for a campaign like this?" Quist asked rhetorically after securing the nomination.

Enrollment at the University of Montana has dropped slightly, but university officials say they are hopeful that trend will reverse. A seventh Republican has added his name as a prospective candidate for Montana's vacant U.S. House seat. Gov. Steve Bullock says the state Board of Regents may have to consider closing a college campus to absorb a $23.3 million university system budget cut the Legislature is proposing. Federal officials say they have approved new measures meant to prevent a repeat

The "Capitol Talk" crew reviews the first half of the legislative session and previews the budget and infrastructure debates still to come. They also look at the front-runners for each party's nomination to fill the state's vacant U.S. House Seat, and speculate about Tim Fox's political ambitions. Join Sally Mauk, Chuck Johnson, and Rob Saldin for "Capitol Talk."

On Sunday, Democrats will gather in Helena to pick their nominee for Montana's special election for the U.S. House. There are eight candidates, including Flathead Valley rancher and musician Rob Quist:

Republican candidate Greg Gianforte says he has secured enough of his party's delegates to win its nomination for the special U.S. House election in May. But State Senator Ed Buttery says he thinks Gianforte is wrong. Buttrey is also vying for the GOP nomination. The party holds its nominating convention this Monday, March 6 in Helena. The election to fill the seat vacated by now-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is May 25 .

Enrollment at the University of Montana has dropped slightly, but university officials say they are hopeful that trend will reverse. The Missoulian reports that enrollment of full-time students fell nearly six percent from this time last year. Current enrollment stands at 11,615 students.

In less than three months, counties across the state will hold a special election to select a replacement for Montana’s now vacant U.S. House Seat . After Ryan Zinke was confirmed as Interior secretary in the Trump administration Wednesday, Governor Steve Bullock called a special election on May 25 — 85 days away. County election officials expect that election to cost about $2 million, split among Montana’s 56 counties. And most counties haven't planned or budgeted for that.

Senator Jon Tester asked for an opportunity to speak to Montana Public Radio listeners. In this interview we ask him about investigations into the Trump administration's contacts with Russia, his takeaways from President Trump's address to Congress Tuesday, and his thoughts on the May special election and his re-election campaign in 2018.