Northern News Network Headlines

Montana OPI To Celebrate Anniversary Of State Constitution

Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Montana Constitution Convention Tuesday by highlighting Indian Education for All at the fan window in the Capitol from 11 to 1. It was further codified in Montana code during the 1999 legislative session making Montana a national leader in supporting ...

New PSC Map Rejected By Supreme Court

A federal court struck down Montana’s current Public Service Commission map because of deviations in populations between districts. Constance Van Kley with Montana-based Upper Seven Law says the PSC serves an important purpose regulating private utility companies that provide services such as natural gas, electricity and water. She says in cas...

Montana Seeing Record Avalanche Deaths This Winter Season

During an average winter avalanches claim the lives of three backcountry recreationists in Montana. So far this winter three snowmobilers and one snowbiker have died in three separate incidents in the Cooke City and West Yellowstone areas. It’s the highest avalanche death tally among motorized users in the state since the 2011-2012 season that...

Rural Hospitals May See Reduced Funding For Medicare This Year

When the pandemic hit rural hospitals already on the brink of closing were spared by an infusion of government money. It was a buffer then. This summer though, Medicare reimbursements will likely be reduced. That’s according to Michael DoCheck with the Charter Center for Rural Health.

Election Candidate Filing Closes Today

Candidate filing for the 2022 election closes this afternoon at 5:00. As of Friday afternoon, at the close of business, 283 candidates had filed for statewide state district or the state legislature. Last week, 32 new candidate filings were submitted to the Montana Secretary of State’s Office. Local candidates file with their county̵...

USDA Rural Director Provides Update On State ARPA Projects

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the American Rescue Plan Act getting signed into law and communities across Montana are beginning to make improvements through the billions of federal dollars approved. Montana’s USDA Rural Development Director Kathleen Williams recently provided an update on how they’re allocating funds.

Clearwater Wind Project Nearing Completion

According to NextEra Energy, its Clearwater Wind project should be finished by the end of this year. The largest wind project in Montana will affect Garfield, Custer and Rosebud counties and include 132 wind turbines and eventually provide 750 megawatts of energy. About 60 are already built and can be seen when driving between Miles City and J...