BILLINGS, Mont. — The Montana Department of Justice hosted an Elder Justice Summit Tuesday at Billings Clinic, highlighting the growing problem of elder abuse and financial scams targeting seniors. The summit, spearheaded by Attorney General Austin Knudsen, focused on both physical and emotional abuse, as well as increasingly sophisticated fin...
CSI Office Steps Up Montana Fraud Fight as AI Fuels New Scams
Fraud in Montana is evolving rapidly—and state officials warn that artificial intelligence is making scams more convincing and harder to detect than ever before. On a recent episode of Voices of Montana, State Auditor and Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Jim Brown said fraud investigations and prosecutions have surged 80% during his fi...
Radical Animal Rights Proposal Threatens Hunting, Fishing, Agriculture
A proposed ballot initiative in Oregon is drawing national concern from conservation leaders who say it could fundamentally change how wildlife is managed in the United States. During a recent episode of Voices of Montana, filmmaker Tom Opre joined policy leaders from the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) to discuss Initiative Petitio...
Design a Sticker, Get a Scholarship
HELENA – Calling all Montana high school artists! Reach Higher Montana‘s annual Design-A-Sticker competition is here, offering a chance to win scholarships and boost your artistic resume. Express Yourself, Fund Your Future This isn’t your typical scholarship application. Instead of essays and GPA requirements, this competitio...
Montana Businesses to See Workers’ Comp Rate Reduction
Montana State Fund Proposes Rate Cut, Continuing Trend of Lower Costs for Employers HELENA, Mont. — Montana businesses could soon see some relief in their workers’ compensation insurance costs. Montana State Fund (MSF), the state’s non-profit workers’ compensation insurer, has proposed a 5% average rate reduction for Montana busin...
Iranian People Key to Regime Change Amid Escalating War
As tensions escalate between Iran, Israel and the United States, a University of Montana scholar says the most important questions may not be about military conflict but whether the Iranian people could ultimately overthrow their oppressive government. Mehrdad Kia, director of the Central and Southwest Asian Studies Center at the University of...
‘Goodbye Wives and Daughters’ Revives Memory of Montana’s Deadliest Mining Disaster
RED LODGE, Mont. — Eighty-three years after Montana’s deadliest mining disaster, a new song and community event are helping preserve the memory of the 74 miners who died in the 1943 Smith Mine explosion near Bearcreek. Singer-songwriter Linda McKenzie recently released “Goodbye Wives and Daughters,” a tribute inspired by one miner’s final chal...
Lower Permit Fees Make Billings More Affordable
Billings, MT — Just in time for the spring building season, the Billings City Council has approved a significant 25% reduction in building permit fees, marking another major step in the City’s commitment to supporting growth and affordability. Making building and development more affordable has been a top priority for Billings. Over the past 1...