Northern News Network Headlines

Montana Wildfire Smoke Mortality Rate

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States With Worst Wildfire Smoke Mortality Rates According to a study published in Communications Earth and Environment the states with the highest mortality rates from wildfire smoke worsened by climate change between 2006 and 2020 were in the West. These states included Montana Oregon Idaho Washington California and Nevada. Montana followed ...

Montana In Fifth Year In A Row Of Drought Conditions

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Montana In Fifth Year In A Row Of Drought Conditions As Montana enters its fifth consecutive year of drought conditions agricultural producers are facing the increasing challenge of sustaining their livelihoods in increasingly arid climates. The 2025 Drought Outlook from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation highlights t...

Montana Ranks As A Top State For Starting A New Business

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Montana ranks as a top state for starting a new business Montana has been recognized as one of the top states in the U.S. for starting a business achieving one of the highest scores for the total number of new businesses. Entrepreneur Media reports Montana holds an opportunity score of 9.55 the highest in the list. Nationally there have been m...

Latest wildfire forecast ‘grim’ for large swaths of the West

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Latest wildfire forecast ‘looking grim’ for large swaths of the West Federal forecasters are warning the fire season could be very active across broad areas of the region in July and August. That includes nearly all of Montana and Idaho and significant parts of California and Nevada. Several factors behind the forecast from the National Intera...

A Weeklong Celebration of “freedom” For Montana schools

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A weeklong celebration of “freedom” may be coming to Montana schools A weeklong celebration of “freedom” may be coming to Montana schools under a law passed during the 2025 legislative session. House Bill 591 adds “Freedom Week” to a list of codified commemorative days that all last for a single day. The celebration of freedom would be the las...

MT Sen Leaders Urge Gov Gianforte to Veto Deficit Spending Bills

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Montana Senate Leaders Urge Governor Gianforte to Veto Spending Bills Amid Concerns of Budget Deficit Montana Senate leaders are calling on Governor Greg Gianforte to use his veto power to rein in state spending. Senate President Matt Regier and Senate Finance Chairman Carl Glimm, both Republicans, raised concerns after a new report from the L...

Email Mistake Reveals Plans To End Research On Head Start

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Email mistake reveals secret plans to end research on Head Start and other child safety net programs Montana has 22 Head Start and Early Head Start programs across roughly 20 locations serve over 3,000 children designed to address the unique needs of the communities they serve. According to a spreadsheet mistakenly made public this week the Tr...

2025 Montana Legislature Goes Down In The History Books

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‘Sine die’ motions bring the Montana Legislature’s 2025 session to a close. The 69th Montana Legislature ended Wednesday after authorizing residential property tax relief and finalizing spending measures including a $16.6 billion budget bill to fund the state’s operations for the next two years. The House wrapped up its business with little fa...

Tax bills to reduce bills for homeowners And landlords Advance

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Second-home tax bills advance aiming to reduce tax bills for homeowners landlords Governor Greg Gianforte’s signature property tax relief measure advanced Tuesday toward final legislative votes. Now contained in House Bill 231 and Senate Bill 542 it would scale back taxes on primary residences and long-term rentals and avoid cuts to local gove...