McCune Bar Sapphire Mine Near Hauser Lake Approved by BLM
The Bureau of Land Management has approved a five-year operation for the McCune Bar sapphire mine near Hauser Lake in Lewis and Clark County. The project covers 2.5 acres of mining activity and 3.6 acres of access road disturbance in a historically mined area. It supports former President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14241, which aims to increase American mineral production.
MSU-Northern Professor on Leave After Charlie Kirk Social Media Posts
Montana State University–Northern associate professor Samantha Balemba-Brownlee has been placed on leave and has faced death threats after making social media comments following the death of conservative figure Charlie Kirk. A state law passed in 2023 has prevented her from being fired. The law allows termination only if employees violate their employer’s written policy or the terms and conditions of their employment contract.
Legislative Committee Taking Public Input on School Funding
The Montana Legislature’s School Funding Interim Committee is conducting a statewide study of school funding, which is required every ten years. The committee is examining “how to make the puzzle pieces fit better” for school funding in Montana. So far, it has held in-person events in Kalispell, Havre, and Billings.
New Federal Rules Add Restrictions to Land and Water Conservation Fund
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has issued an order changing how the Land and Water Conservation Fund operates. The fund helps pay for recreation and conservation projects on state and federal lands using royalties from offshore oil and gas leasing. Under the new rules, private landowners who want to sell property to state or federal agencies for public land expansion will need approval from both the governor and county officials where the sale is proposed. Since its creation, the fund has supported nearly 2,000 projects in Montana, totaling more than $600 million.
New Companies Interested in the East Helena Slag Pile
A 16-million-ton slag pile remains on the former 2,000-acre ASARCO site, which the smelting and refining company abandoned around 2009. The Montana Environmental Trust Group, which holds the title, has partnered with R-E-D Industrial Products, a Pennsylvania-based slag replacement company, and CRH, an international building materials firm. The group has one year to find buyers for the slag.
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Billings animal control officers have returned to their offices connected to the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter, while animals remain evacuated. The shelter closed September 10 after vapors from an FBI meth incineration operation sickened 14 employees.
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The Navajo Transitional Energy Company issued an annual dividend of $3.15 million to its sole shareholder, the Navajo Nation. This marks the largest annual dividend in company history, reflecting operations in Montana, Wyoming, and on the Navajo Nation.
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At a recent House Judiciary Committee hearing, FBI Director Kash Patel said cartels are using drones to drop drugs onto reservations and called for a federal drone counterattack. The FBI has 1,900 active cases in Indian Country and has already seen 600 indictments this year. Patel said enforcement on tribal lands is a top FBI priority.
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The Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees voted unanimously to join an upcoming lawsuit against the state, becoming the first Montana district to do so. The lawsuit will argue that current state contributions to school funding do not meet Montana’s constitutional obligation to provide a free, quality public education.
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The University of Montana enrolled 11,064 students this fall, marking its fifth straight year of enrollment growth. Since 2021, UM’s student body has grown by more than 16%, adding 1,562 students. This year’s growth was boosted by a record retention rate of 77.2%.
