Out-of-state providers target Native people in $55M insurance scheme According to an announcement from State Auditor James Brown, out-of-state substance use treatment facilities have been carrying out a deceptive scheme targeting Native people in Montana, resulting in up to $55 million in fraudulent health insurance claims. PacificSource alert...
Rocky Mountain Grid Monitored as Jan. 20 Solar Storm Arrives A severe geomagnetic storm in effect today is expected to reach Earth as Arctic cold spreads into the Rocky Mountains, prompting increased monitoring of power systems and other critical infrastructure across high-elevation and rural regions. The G4 storm watch includes Montana, where...
Bison Grazing Rejected The U.S. Department of the Interior is revoking seven grazing permits in Phillips County. The decision directly impacts the American Prairie Reserve, which had been acquiring the permits to graze its herd of bison. The 1934 Taylor Grazing Act requires that grazing on publicly owned federal lands be “limited to cases wher...
Montana reports $84.1 million in hunting and fishing license tax revenue in 2024 According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections, Montana generated $4.7 billion in tax revenue in 2024. Of that total, $84.1 million came from hunting and fishing license taxes. The Census Bureau notes that state and local g...
Proposed AI Data Center Sparks Debate in Rural Montana Data centers are increasingly looking to Montana, drawn by a skilled workforce, vast open land, and a property tax rate of less than one percent. Now, a proposed artificial intelligence data center near Broadview—a town of about 130 people in rural Yellowstone County—is placing that nation...
Another record passenger year for Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport 2025 was another record-setting year for Montana’s busiest airport. Last year, 2,809,419 passengers traveled through Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, a 6.3% increase over the record-setting year in 2024. The airport’s multi-phase, $190 million East Terminal E...
Four years of legalized adult-use marijuana in Montana produce more than $1 billion in sales In the four years since Montana began allowing the legal sale of adult-use marijuana, the state’s retailers have sold more than $1 billion in product. Adult-use sales have risen enough to offset a sharp decline in purchases regulated and taxed as medic...
Wildlife expert shares how mild winters impact bear activity across Montana A milder winter in Montana has led to unusual wildlife activity, particularly among bears. However, bear activity is not influenced by warmer temperatures alone. It is primarily driven by food availability. Contrary to popular belief, bears do not hibernate in the trad...
Daines leads $5.2B quantum computing funding redux Sen. Steve Daines introduced a bill this week to restart research and development funding for quantum computing after the original funding expired in 2023. The bill would provide $2.7 billion through the Department of Commerce and $2.5 billion through the Department of Energy over the next fiv...
New Postal Rule Could Slow Voter Mail in Rural Montana A new U.S. Postal Service rule on postmarks could impact rural voters in Montana and across the country, and advocates for Native communities are particularly concerned. Instead of postmarking mail on the day it is received by local post offices, the postmark will now reflect the date it r...
