With ‘REAL ID’ a month away airport officials urge travelers to act Airline travelers will be required to use a “REAL ID” starting May 7th two decades after Congress first passed legislation requiring a higher level of identification for airline passengers. People can also use passports passport cards active duty military credentia...
Trump loosens coal mining restrictions as part of efforts aimed at ‘unleashing American energy’ President Donald Trump signed four executive orders Tuesday afternoon designed to make the United States energy dominant and unleash the nation’s energy reserves including coal. President Trump said the Defense Production Act will ...
Gas prices expected to keep falling amidst growing concerns about the economy At the beginning of the year average gas prices in Montana had increased 13 out of 14 weeks but are now 42.1 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. Monday the cheapest price in the state was $2.95 a gallon while the most expensive was $3.54. Montana is currently ran...
Fund Rail Line House bill 848 has passed the House and is pending in the Senate. It would create a “Big Sky Rail Account” which would contribute to the estimated $2 billion price tag for a second rail line through southern Montana. Amtrak’s Empire Builder already passes through northern Montana. The 2,300 mile Big Sky North Coast Corridor woul...
Lawmakers consider new financial options for childcare programs State lawmakers are considering new financial options for childcare programs including House Bill 945 which would establish a new grant program for daycare businesses. According to the sponsor Senator Katie Sullivan the goal of the program is to expand capacity reduce wait lists a...
Job market in Mountain West and Pacific regions sees decline According to the latest data from payroll company ADP the American job market showed mixed results in March. The Mountain West region which includes Montana and Idaho witnessed a loss of 12,000 jobs and in the Pacific region which encompasses Washington 29,000 jobs were lost. Overall...
Montana Judge Temporarily Blocks House Bill 121, Restricting Transgender Access to Public Facilities Today Montana District Judge Shane Vannatta has temporarily blocked House Bill 121, which restricts transgender individuals’ access to public bathrooms, locker rooms, and sleeping areas that don’t match their sex at birth. Governor Greg G...
Yellowstone’s Distinct Bison Herds Have Merged Into A Single Entity After Decades Of Wandering the Park For the first time in over a hundred years Yellowstone’s bison herds have merged into a single genetically unified population. Tissue samples analyzed from 282 animals found significant genetic overlap confirming that the two herds have inte...
USDA cancels fresh food program at Montana food banks and nationwide The U.S. Department of Agriculture has permanently cut Commodity Credit Corporation funding which paid for fresh food for the Montana Food Bank Network and food banks across the country. Around 330,000 pounds of chicken eggs fruit milk and other foods were canceled which woul...
Mountain West region top lists for residential construction employment According to an analysis from the National Association of Home Builders construction industry employment reached a record high 11.4 million people in 2023 and an estimated 4.7 million of those workers were in residential construction. Three states in the Mountain Division w...
