Attorney General Rejects ‘Anti-Dark Money’ Ballot Initiative, Saying It Has Too Many Parts
Attorney General Austin Knudsen on Friday rejected a proposed ballot initiative aimed at ending corporate money in Montana political campaigns, saying it is legally insufficient. The initiative’s primary advocate, former State Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan, said in a Monday interview that attorneys with his group, the Transparent Election Initiative, would officially dispute the attorney general’s conclusion within the legally required 10-day window.
Montana Mining Industry Boosts Economy and Jobs with Expansion into Rare Earth Elements in Bitterroot Valley
Mining in Montana supports more than 18,000 jobs and has an economic output of $7.3 billion and now it’s ramping up even more in the search for rare earth elements in the Bitterroot Valley, championed by US Critical Materials. Executive Director of the Montana Mining Association Matt Vincent sheds some light on the project.
Executive Director of the Montana Mining Association Matt Vincent
MSU’s Local Government Center Celebrates 40 Years as Communities Undergo Unique-State Decennial Reviews
In Montana 12 counties and 42 municipalities have been conducting local reviews of their governments which is a process that is unique to Montana and happens every ten years. Dan Clark Director of the Local Government Center at Montana State University Extension had some background on it today on Voices of Montana.
Director Dan Clark
The Local Government Center at Montana State University is celebrating its 40th anniversary of service to Montana communities.
Thousands of Pounds of Pork Bound for Montana Food Banks Following Feral Swine Investigation
Thousands of pounds of pork are being delivered to Montana food banks this week following a feral swine investigation. The delivery is made possible by Producer Partnership, located between Big Timber and Livingston — the nation’s only USDA-inspected nonprofit livestock processing facility. In this case, the pork comes from swine connected to a family near Malta along the Hi-Line, where a death in the family created unique circumstances involving the animals’ ownership.
Back-Office Servicer Reports Data Theft Affecting 10.5 Million People
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana customers were among those affected by a data breach discovered in January involving the third-party back-office servicer Conduent Business Solutions LLC. State regulators were told Monday that the breach impacted more than 10.5 million individuals nationwide, potentially making it the largest healthcare data hack of the year. To the company’s knowledge, the data has not been released on the dark web or otherwise made public.
Montana Gas Prices Drop for Sixth Straight Week
Average gas prices in Montana have fallen for the sixth consecutive week. According to GasBuddy.com, prices dropped 4.3 cents in the past week. A gallon of regular now costs 11.3 cents less than a month ago and 15.5 cents less than a year ago. Montana currently ranks 18th in the U.S. for average gas price — three spots lower than last week.
Montana Logging Project Halted Over Illegal Road Use in Grizzly Habitat
U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen ruled Monday that the Knotty Pine Logging Project in the Kootenai National Forest will remain on hold until federal officials reassess how road use — particularly illegal road use — affects grizzly bears. Christensen found that the Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to adequately analyze the impacts of unauthorized roads on the threatened species.
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SNAP Benefits Halted: November SNAP benefits have been stopped by the Trump administration. To help cushion the impact on those who depend on the program for groceries, the Montana Rescue Mission in Billings will serve free hot dinners at 1822 Minnesota Avenue — Saturday at 4:45 p.m. and Sunday at 5:45 p.m.
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BNSF Railway Safety Upgrade: BNSF Railway could activate Positive Train Control (PTC) as soon as this week on former Northern Pacific lines across southern Montana, which it took over in 2024. It would become one of the first railroads in the nation to voluntarily implement this collision-prevention technology.
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Missoula Candidate Violations: An investigation by the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices ruled Monday that Missoula City Council candidate Daniel Carlino violated multiple campaign finance laws ahead of the local election. The commissioner found that the Ward 3 candidate failed to properly disclose payments for five batches of campaign texts, accepted contributions from a corporate donor, and committed other reporting violations.
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Fishing Access Site Proposal: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is proposing to acquire an easement on waterfront property along the Lower Yellowstone River — immediately upriver of Miles City — to design, construct, and manage a new fishing access site on undeveloped city-owned land. Public comments are being accepted through November 7. The project is a partnership between Walleyes Unlimited, the City of Miles City, and FWP.
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Helena Schools Shelter in Place: Broadwater Elementary School and C.R. Anderson Middle School in Helena briefly sheltered in place early Monday afternoon after reports of gunshots nearby. According to Helena Public Schools, the noise turned out to be fireworks. During shelter-in-place orders, students remain inside and continue their normal schedules.
