Talen Energy, which operates Colstrip Power Plant, is $4 billion in debt and facing negotiations with creditors as its bonds are downgraded to a substantial fundamental credit risk. Bloomberg charts Talen’s bonds on a steep decline since May. This week, Fitch Ratings downgraded the long-term issuer default rating for Talen Energy Supply to CCC...
District Judge Dismisses New Challenge To Appointment Bill
District Court judge Mike McMahon has dismissed a lawsuit by former Democratic Representatives Tom Winter and Barbara Bessette challenging Montana’s new judicial appointment process. The case was the second attempt at taking down Senate Bill 140 passed by the GOP-dominated Legislature and signed by Republican Governor Greg Gianforte to a...
Labor Day Listed As One Of The Holidays With Most DUIs
Many Montanans will turn to road trips local travel and day trips this Labor Day weekend increasing the number of people behind the wheel but it’s important to make smart decisions as it is one of the top five most dangerous holidays in terms of DUI fatalities. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safet...
Less Than Half Of Motnana’s Fire Suppression Fund For The Year Utilized Thus Far
Since January 1st there have been over 2,160 fire starts in Montana burning around 827,000 acres. Montana entered the fiscal year with the Fire Suppression Fund at its statutory maximum of roughly $105 million. Officials estimate $48.5 million from the fund have been spent fighting fires since the start of the state’s current fiscal year. http...
Wings of various grouse & hungarian partridge to be collected in SW MT
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologists will be collecting wings from hunter-harvested sage-grouse, mountain grouse and Hungarian partridge in several areas of southwest Montana. Biologists will use these wings to identify birds by species and age class — juvenile or adult. This helps biologists monitor juvenile recruitment among game bi...
CWD Testing in Wyoming’s Deer Areas 96 & 97
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is trying something new this year in their ongoing effort to monitor chronic wasting disease in Wyoming. CWD is a fatal disease of the central nervous system in mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk and moose. For the first time, Game and Fish is requiring mandatory CWD sample submission on deer harvested from ...
Upcoming Hunting Season In Montana Will Be The First With Numerous Changes Enacted
Under a special one-time legislative allowance, nearly 1,700 nonresidents hunting with outfitters purchased big game licenses with about another 140 still eligible. A late amendment to House Bill 637 allowed outfitted out-of-state hunters who had applied for, but not drawn, one of Montana’s 17,000 big game licenses to purchase one by the end o...
Red Tape Task Force Aiming To Significantly Reduce Regulation In Montana
According to Lt. Governor Kristen Juras, it would take an individual seven weeks to read through state administrative rules. Wednesday, on Voices of Montana, she talked about what the Red Tape Task Force she’s leading is doing to get rid of as much as possible. https://northernbroadcasting.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/9-02_737.mp3
Montana Secretary of State Involved In New Lawsuit Alleging Overcharging Businesses
A group of seven small businesses has sued Secretary of State Christi Jacobson for refusing to refund money after the Secretary’s website double charged customers for fees. The plaintiffs are requesting that the Court order the Secretary to issue the refunds that are due and change the unlawful refund policy going forward. The suit was filed b...
Northwestern Energy Rates To Increase In Upcoming Months
NorthWestern Energy residential rates are expected to rise about $22.20 a year beginning in October as the utility attempts to recover unexpected costs from the previous rate year. This rate increase follows a July rate increase of $26.40 a year for an average residential customer. The 12-month rate increase requested August 31st would take ho...