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In an apparently historic victory, Democrat Sam Forstag celebrated a win over Republican challenger Aaron Flint in the highly competitive Western U.S. House District race. Montanans haven’t sent a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives in more than 30 years.
On a night of big U.S. Senate upsets nationwide, Kurt Alme keeps Montana Senate seat in Republican hands.
Three ballot initiatives in Montana have passed, according to the Associated Press, which called the races just after 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, with about 70% of ballots counted.
Flathead County District Court Judge Amy Eddy defeated her District Court colleague Dan Wilson to win an eight-year term on the Montana Supreme Court, extending a run of victories by women candidates in contested court elections since 2016. The race drew millions in television advertising and highlighted a debate…
The Associated Press has called Montana’s Eastern U.S. House District race for Republican incumbent Troy Downing, who first won the seat in 2024. Downing defeated Democrat Brian Miller, independent Mike Eisenhauer and Libertarian Patrick McCracken.
Hundreds of thousands of votes have been cast in Montana for state and federal candidates and ballot issues. Here’s the latest news on where those races stand, from U.S. Senate and House seats to the Public Service Commission.
Benefis Health System will close a satellite clinic in Great Falls and eliminate some services starting in December. The hospital's internal message to employees Tuesday cited efforts to "protect the financial health of the organization."
A national educational accrediting organization has issued a sanction against Little Big Horn College in Crow Agency, citing “serious governance issues” and directing the institution to comply with multiple recommendations. At risk is the tribal college’s accreditation, a certification standard often tied to federal…
Follow along with MTFP reporters as voters go to the polls on Election Day, and as ballots get counted in federal and statewide races.
Grizzlies killed for harming livestock and bears that died from accidental causes like vehicle strikes contributed to the record. Illegal killings and natural deaths spiked as well.
A Montana law requiring that voters write their birth year on absentee ballot return envelopes was ruled unconstitutional by a district court judge last month. The ruling ended a requirement that had caused thousands of absentee ballots to be rejected during elections held over the past year. But an email issued by…
Montana PBS spent $375,000 on broadcast infrastructure in Glendive, Sidney and Miles City in 2025. The stations went online in February 2026. The expansion represents PBS’ investment in rural communities — a goal the organization is pursuing in the face of uncertain funding and an industry-wide shift in favor of…
More than a year into a government dispute, conflicting statements about candidates, polling locations and absentee voting mark the Northern Cheyenne’s upcoming council election. Tribal leaders say contradictory statements about who is on the ballot, where to vote and who is allowed to vote have sown frustration and…
A state court has dismissed a lawsuit filed in May against a Montana news outlet over its reporting on a complaint about a political consultant, citing a new Montana law designed to protect press freedoms. The judge also awarded attorneys’ fees to the defendants.
The number of wolves being killed is increasing as Montana’s general rifle season gets underway. Officials say it’s because most wolf hunters are opportunistic.
Since mid-October, President Trump has paused Russian sanctions recently passed by Congress with broad support, while also lifting a ban on Russian diesel sales until April 7, 2027. The latter move means Russia can sell 2.25 million barrels of diesel globally, including to the United States. Some incumbents and…
PLUS: What Montana’s federal delegation and candidates think about Trump’s Russia concessions.
The Crow Tribe’s Legislative Branch recently rejected a bill that would have dramatically changed the definition of tribal citizenship. The debate resurfaced a politically and culturally fraught question that tribes nationwide are grappling with: who gets to be a tribal citizen, and how should the question be decided?
Infrastructure projects that curb planet-warming emissions often require cobbling together funds from a variety of sources including state, federal and private partnerships. But with a steady decline in the federal dollars available, and costs for building increasing, there's often a gap that remains. Climate Smart…
Libertarian Senate candidate Kyle Austin’s comments at an Oct. 23 forum in Billings have sparked controversy, prompting political attacks and drawing criticism from the forum’s host and tribal community members.
The gap in care is acute in rural places. Cutbacks are happening across community hospitals, whether owned by small nonprofits or massive private equity companies. Medical researchers and organizations warn such gaps will widen due to cuts in federal Medicaid spending.
Organizers of I-194 expected a multimillion-dollar campaign to defeat their proposal, which would block corporations from spending directly in Montana elections. It never arrived. But with Election Day approaching, a nonprofit called People United for Privacy is quietly making a case that the anonymity of political…
“In no way is this agreement any sort of approval for land use, water, electricity,” the Public Works director said. “We are talking about the condition of the road and the use of the road.”
The Catholic liberal arts school, nearly a century old, had been undergoing a financial restructuring. On Tuesday, its president said that the university had exhausted all viable paths forward.
Authorities in Cascade County issued a warrant for Nathan Ross Harlan for allegedly forging signatures on petitions to get two independent candidates on the fall ballot.
Superintendent Erwin Garcia sent a memo to media outlets saying he was “frustrated” to learn there would be no felony case and that the situation “does not ease the pain or provide the clear resolution our community needs.”
The number of calls the team responds to annually has increased about 140% from 2021 to 2025, from 1,300 to 3,130, with the team responding to an average of about eight or nine calls per day. Despite that indication of need, the team’s path to expanding hours is rocky and riddled with funding hurdles.
Drumming up enthusiasm for Montana’s Republican candidates for federal office, Vice President JD Vance cited tax cuts and other cost-of-living achievements as Trump administration successes while briefly acknowledging high gas prices and rising inflation at a rally in Belgrade on Oct. 26.
Inside a Yellowstone gateway town’s colorful, artistic, outlaw past through centuries-old words etched into a lodgepole signpost.
Montana’s federal candidates have arrived at the final stage of the general election largely fueled by individual contributions. National political action committee donations and contributions from congressional leadership committees also play a major role. Here’s a summary of the financial picture for each major…
The Blackfoot Confederacy, a coalition of tribes in Montana and Alberta, celebrated Albertans’ decision this week to remain a province within Canada. The “no” vote represents a long-sought victory for First Nations in Alberta, who brought a legal challenge and launched a public information campaign to thwart the…
After nearly two hours of impassioned debate, the Crow Tribe’s Legislature on Wednesday voted down a bill that would dramatically change who counts as a tribal member. The bill, brought by Chairman Frank White Clay, would have revised the tribe’s “blood quantum” standard, effectively making more people eligible for…
Billings woman to serve as interim county attorney.
PLUS: Federal funding for YWCA program in doubt.
Hundreds of imperiled species, including whitebark pine trees, grizzly bears and western bumble bees, could face greater threats from industry and development.
PLUS: Checking Bankhead’s references.
Vice President JD Vance will speak at an airplane hangar in Belgrade on Monday, Oct. 26. His arrival will mark the third visit to Montana in two weeks by the federal government’s most powerful Republicans.
Bridger Pipeline LLC plans to build a 650-mile tar sands pipeline through farm and rangeland in eastern Montana where volatile cattle markets, skyrocketing diesel prices and multiyear droughts have made a challenging industry even harder. Landowners along the route say a payment from Bridger could provide stability…
The $105-million donation is the largest in National Park Service history. It came from the largest data-center backer in the world.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks estimates that elk hunters spent roughly 1.1 million cumulative days afield in 2024, the most recent year for which data is available. Southwestern Montana accounted for the largest share of that time, and the state’s largest estimated elk harvest. Southeastern Montana recorded the…
The facility is a key part of the state’s plan to address a backlog at the state hospital and in county jails, where current psychiatric resources can’t meet demand. The proposed facility would serve only people involved in the criminal system, including those awaiting trial.
Tommy Michael VanHoose, who became a conservative media darling after the IRS raided his Great Falls gun store in 2023, skipped his October sentencing hearing in federal court for felony tax fraud.
September was among the warmest on record in Montana. It led to thousands of deer and antelope deaths related to a widespread disease outbreak in the southeast portion of the state.
Slaughter talks about the jail's revenue model, shares his views on immigration enforcement and describes the limits he places on a school resource officer program that he has advocated for in Great Falls and around Cascade County.
The sale of kratom products in retail food businesses in Missoula County will be prohibited beginning in November, as the city-county health department aims to restrict access to the unregulated substance that can have opioid-like effects.
Since the start of his campaign, Seth Bodnar has insisted that there’s political space between Republicans and Democrats where a candidate might find or form a core of Montanans defined and driven by frustrations with partisan conflict and rising costs. Is there a coalition in that space willing to elect Montana’s…
Good morning, Helena. In this issue, we look at local reactions to a potential four-day school week at the East Helena Public Schools. Additionally, the Original Governor’s Mansion is again open for tours, and you can read about downtown Helena’s upcoming slew of Halloween festivities. But first, a weather preview ☀️…
Did a robot take jobs from fry cooks?
Longtime Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito is stepping down to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana.
Montana’s Public Service Commission rejected a petition asking the agency to consider climate impacts. Now the petitioners have sued.
PLUS: MSU celebrates new nursing building, in Missoula.
Two Montana Public Service Commission seats are up for election this year. Candidates running to serve on the PSC would be tasked with regulating monopolies, like utility companies, including new emerging sectors such as power for data centers.
PLUS: Truth in advertising? You be the judge.
Across issues — immigration, wildfire management, abortion and foreign policy — Western District U.S. House candidate Aaron Flint consistently returns to the same line of argument: Montana is under threat from “big government,” “far-left judges” and policies he says have eroded the state’s “way of life.” After years…
A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals hearing could determine whether federal officials reconsider Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Greater Yellowstone and across the West.
Trump didn't specify a location for the site but said that it could support testing of "potential autonomous weapons," space and electronic warfare technology, as well as supersonic and hypersonic weapons.
Diesel prices have spiked since March, a result of the U.S. conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. The increased cost has strained Montana farmers, ranchers and truckers. What can state officials do, if anything, to help ease those economic pressures? One Montana Free Press reader…
President Donald Trump, on tour to motivate voter turnout in hotly contested midterm elections, rallied in Kalispell to praise Republican candidate Aaron Flint and bash his Democratic opponent.
U.S. House candidate Sam Forstag’s economic appeal to voters is equal parts labor, healthcare, tax reform and blue-collar grit. Can a working-class pitch notch a Western Montana win for Democrats?
Lewis and Clark County residents should see their ballots in the mail this week. There are a variety of candidates seeking legislative seats and leadership positions with the county. Here are a few key races in the Greater Helena Area.
‘How Gray Wolves, Monarch Butterflies, and Giant Sequoias Transformed Large Landscape Conservation’ explores transcontinental conservation efforts and the barriers separating wildlife movement.
With the 2026 midterm election three weeks away and absentee ballots mailed to voters Oct. 9, we asked the state’s candidates for federal office how they would address the issue of immigration.
Montana Free Press founder John S. Adams announced that he plans to step down as CEO on June 1, 2027. "For ten years, I've poured my heart and soul into building Montana Free Press, and I couldn't be more proud of what this organization and its supporters have accomplished," Adams said.
Zolnikov called it “absurd” that some Republicans are supporting Tidswell, a write-in candidate, instead of himself, the Republican nominee. He said it boiled down to his own opposition to certain Republican candidates earlier this year. “Because they have been involved in progressive dollars and supporting primary…
John Adams, who founded Montana Free Press a decade ago working out of his pickup, announced on Tuesday that he will step down as CEO of the nonprofit organization.
In addition to casting votes for three-quarters of the state’s congressional delegation, an open state Supreme Court seat, two Public Service Commissioners and legislative candidates, Montanans will also weigh in on three ballot measures in the upcoming election. This year, Montana voters will determine via initiative…
Two candidates for Montana’s Western District U.S. House seat — Republican Aaron Flint and Democrat Sam Forstag — debated in Missoula Oct. 13, exactly three weeks before the Nov. 3 general election. The debate, produced by Montana Free Press and NonStop Local, was hosted by NonStop Local’s Ben Wineman and moderated by…
An attorney for the city of Laurel received a draft copy of the letter about an hour and a half before the meeting last week, the city’s mayor said. He and others with the city watched the hearing and sent a five-page response the next day asking the committee to reconsider and to review a packet of city engineering…
Shannon O’Brien has resigned as chair of the Montana Democratic Party, effective immediately, and endorsed independent U.S. Senate candidate Seth Bodnar, according to a statement published in MS NOW.
President Donald Trump has announced a plan to import about 800,000 tons of diesel fuel from Russia, and Montana Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras issued an executive order that allows some commercial vehicles to use red-dyed diesel on public roads until Nov. 23. Montana ag producers don’t expect the efforts to help.
It's not that property values are dropping at an alarming rate across downtown. Rather, the change is largely attributed to NorthWestern Energy's acquisition of Energy West and to the utility's historic train depot building that had contributed millions to the downtown tax rolls.
PLUS: Ways police keep tabs on their mental well-being
A harrowing two weeks in Great Falls
Catholic school stakeholders described longstanding frustration about operations and a lack of communication from the diocese about sudden changes, including a major "rebrand" of three well-known Catholic schools under the St. Patrick's name.
Four U.S. Senate candidates — Republican Kurt Alme, Democrat Alani Bankhead, independent Seth Bodnar and Libertarian Kyle Austin — debated in Bozeman on Oct. 11, marking Alme’s first debate appearance. Alme, the frontrunner, was the target of the lion’s share of the debate’s attack lines, mostly for backing…
On Oct. 9, local election offices mailed out absentee ballots, which account for the majority of ballots cast in Montana. Many Montanans will have their ballots in hand early next week. Many more are preparing to vote at their local polling place on Election Day, Nov. 3. However you choose to vote, you may have…
Ballots are in the mail, and Missoula County voters will have a variety of races to consider. Although only one county official has a challenger, multiple legislative races are contested.
PLUS: City closes data center loophole
Council to vote on sale of Lampman Park
The president is expected in Kalispell next week, details TBD
This summer was the hottest on record in the contiguous U.S., a staggering statistic that can leave many feeling despondent, said Shanti Devins with Climate Smart Missoula, the nonprofit group that founded Climate Solutions Week. The feeling of hopelessness that can accompany climate change awareness, Devins said, is…
Alani Bankhead attracted the national political spotlight in the final weeks of summer for reasons no U.S. Senate candidate wants. Democrats and Republicans alike waited to see whether the Democratic nominee would end her campaign to clear a path for independent Seth Bodnar. Instead of withdrawing, Bankhead announced…
With the 2026 midterm election a month away and absentee ballots being mailed to voters Oct. 9, MTFP asked the state’s candidates for federal office how they would address Montanans’ healthcare concerns.
A union representing employees at Columbus Metallurgical Complex and Stillwater Mine, which are both owned by a South African company called Sibanye-Stillwater, have ended a month-long strike. United Steelworkers Union 11-0001, which represents about 420 employees across both facilities in south-central Montana…
Flathead National Forest officials rejected a 2022 version of the plan in a preliminary review before any public process got underway. The 2026 proposal varies little from the earlier one, according to Pursuit Chief Operating Officer Gary Rodgers, except to operate year-round instead of seasonally. It would still…
The new initiative requires the county to “immediately” disclose any communications between county employees and anyone “associated or employed by any person or entity in the data center industry,” and to produce electronic copies of all such communications.
Montana begins mailing absentee ballots for the 2026 general election on Oct. 9. The voting method has become dramatically more popular over the past two decades: About 22% of ballots were cast absentee in 2004, compared with roughly 70% cast through absentee ballots in 2024.
The man had been living in Billings for at least two years, police said. During that time, contact with police was “very limited,” but he had an “extensive violent history” from Florida, including burglary, weapons and sex crime charges.
Cascade County voters have a full midterm ballot with some well-known names, some new candidates and at least one legislative race that's seen as a toss-up.
As high-profile claims of election fraud are promoted at the highest levels of government, local elections administrators are the ones left assuaging voters and making sure the tabulators work. We sat down with three election administrators — Dayna Causby of Yellowstone County, Crystal Roascio of Carbon County and…
By the end of the late-night Monday meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to allow the Daily Wire-affiliated movie about an ICE agent doing battle with Antifa protestors and MS-13 gang members to continue. The decision came two days after the commission temporarily paused operations on set, and served as an added…
An absentee ballot requirement that has resulted in thousands of Montana votes being thrown out since 2025 has been ruled unconstitutional by a state judge.
About four-in-five registered voters believe cost of living and affordability are very important in helping them decide who to vote for, according to a Montana Free Press-Eagleton poll of registered voters conducted in late August and early September. With the midterm election a month away, Montana Free Press asked…
PLUS: More controlled burns this week.
PLUS: Great Falls College sees enrollment jump.
As the county has grown, so has crime. Just last week, the county assigned a sergeant full-time to manage risks inside the jail from inmates with gang affiliations, Smart said.
Gov. Greg Gianforte has tapped Larry Flynn to take over as director of the Montana Department of Transportation, replacing Chris Dorrington, who left the top spot at the agency on Oct. 1.
You can start small when practicing financial wellness. It can look like a 10-minute weekly money check-in, setting up automatic savings, asking a question about credit, or joining a workshop to learn how to spot a scam before you get hit.
PLUS: City Council tries to rein in City Council.
The first sheep drive in Reed Point was a “spoof” of The Great Montana Centennial Cattle Drive, a six-day celebration of the state’s 100th anniversary in 1989. Now, 38 years later, the Labor Day tradition still draws a crowd and helps fund the town’s community club.