Northern News Network Headlines

Lewis & Clark County Sheriff Makes Case For Federally Funded Pre-K Education

“Fight Crime”: Invest in Kids” recently released a report outlining the benefits of expanded pre-kindergarten education and how it ultimately reduces crime. During a virtual panel put on by the nonprofit organization Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton explained why he supports the federal investment in preschool education proposed in th...

Montana Officials Weigh In On Russian Invasion

Montana’s congressional delegation released statements Thursday condemning Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. Governor Greg Gianforte also released a statement in support of Ukraine and called for sanctions against Russia. Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal in 1994 after receiving guarantees from the United States, the United Kingdom and ...

Nearly 40 Yellowstone Bison To Be Culled

Most of the 37 bison that were migrating outside of Yellowstone National Park have been sent to be slaughtered as officials have begun the annual program to cull them to prevent the spread of brucellosis to cattle in Montana. Officials plan to remove up to 900 of the park’s 5,000 bison this winter through slaughter relocation and hunting...

COVID-Protection Funds For Montana Prisons Not Yet Spent

Kaiser Health News reporter Katheryn Houghton reports Montana has yet to spend any of the $2.5 million in federal aid it received last summer to boost COVID detection and mitigation in the state’s prison and jails. That’s because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised concerns about the state’s spending plan causing the st...

Federal Law Overrules Aerial Wolf Hunting Law In Montana

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks argued in state District Court recently Montana law does not prohibit aerial hunting of wolves. The federal Airborne Hunting Act of 1972 does prohibit shooting or attempting to shoot or harassing any bird fish or other animal from aircraft except for certain specified reasons. Wednesday FWP spokesperson Greg Lem...

State Park Visitation Slightly Lower Across Montana

Montana’s 55 state saw a dip of 1.3% to fewer than 3.4 million visitors in 2021 compared to 2020 in which parks set a record for visitors. The most-visited state park in 2021 was Giant Springs State Park along the Missouri River near Great Falls. Increasing trends in visitation are something managers must grapple with as more use means a great...