Big Sky Lede

This week Tom Kuglin and Sam Wilson talks about one legislator's quest to legalize the use of crossbows for hunters with disabilities and the process of drawing new legislative district maps. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms — the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Record, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers' websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Seaborn Larson and Holly Michels discuss the ways the GOP is seeking to change the judiciary this session and a group of bills that would change how transgender minors live in Montana, as well as one targeted at who can attend drag shows held in certain places.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Holly Michels, Seaborn Larson and Sam Wilson of the Montana State News Bureau, talk about reporting from week five of the legislative session.  Topics discussed: a package of Republican-backed legislation to spend $1 billion of the state's surplus and cut taxes, a question of conflict of interest regarding a freshman legislator's bill and a couple controversial bills heard in both judiciary committees.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tom Kuglin and Seaborn Larson of the Montana State News Bureau, talk about big-picture reporting from week four of the legislative session.  Topics discussed: the formation of the Montana Freedom Caucus, a bloc of ultraconservative state lawmakers, and what this current session might have in store for fish and wildlife legislation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Holly Michels and Seaborn Larson of the Montana State News Bureau talk about the big news from week three at the Montana legislature. Topics discussed: the resignation of Rep. Mallorie Stromswold, Gov. Gianforte's tax relief bills debut, an anti-abortion bill aimed at the constitution and legislation aimed at addressing problems at the Montana State Hospital.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tom Kuglin and Holly Michels talk about week 2 of the legislative session and how policy is starting to move. Legislation discussed: making Montana Water Court permanent, increasing payments to block management enrollees and changes to child protective services.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode, the Montana State News Bureau's Tom Kuglin and Holly Michels run down the opening day of the legislative session, from leadership laying out their priorities and what priorities plan to focus on to voices of dissent in the Capitol and an early indication of a GOP dispute over the power of their supermajority.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The news last week was dominated by the historic flooding in south-central Montana and all the damage left in the wake of receding flood waters. As the flooding started to happen early last week, the state was putting out press releases with quotes from Gov. Greg Gianforte about the response from his administration about the flooding, and by Tuesday had issued a disaster declaration. But there was something less than standard about that executive order, because it was signed by Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras acting at governor. On this week's episode, Holly Michels of the Montana State News Bureau, talks about the governor's whereabouts last week and what's being done in response to the historic flooding.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Tuesday, voters in Montana had their say in the state’s midterm primary election. While the primaries for the new western congressional seat drew most of the attention, voters also weighed in on state Supreme Court positions, seats on the Public Service Commission, legislative races and more. On this episode Montana State News Bureau reporters who give us a run down on who won, who lost and where votes are still being counted. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Record, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last few months, we’ve seen employees at Montana State Hospital try to raise the alarm about the conditions at the facility in Warm Springs. It’s the only state-run psychiatric hospital in Montana and, according to the state, is amid a serious staffing shortage. On this episode, Seaborn Larson talks about an inspection report that lays out how those conditions have affected patients, and in some cases, how violations of federal health rules have had fatal consequences.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent lawsuit in Montana District Court has brought confusion and now hopefully some clarity on what is and is not allowed for hunting wolves. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in response to a lawsuit from two wildlife advocacy groups argues that its removal of language from Montana’s wolf hunting regulations prohibiting hunting wolves from aircraft was justified because state law does not specifically bar hunting wolves from the air. But according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and subsequently acknowledged by FWP, a federal law prohibits shooting wildlife from aircraft, although comes with some exceptions. On this episode, Tom Kuglin walks us through the lead up to a consensus among both federal and state officials that wolves may not be hunted from aircraft for recreational purposes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Republican lawmakers are talking seriously about a possible special legislative session in the coming weeks, and that the governor has indicated a willingness to call lawmakers into session if certain conditions are met. The goal: preempt a court from redrawing the state’s Public Service Commission districts. On this episode, Sam Wilson and Holly Michels of the Montana State News Bureau talk about a recent article from Wilson on the rumblings of a special session and the story's fallout.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weighing the benefits of technology with the principles of fair chase has long been a difficult balance in hunting in Montana and across the West. Photographing wildlife with remote trail cameras has grown in popularity over the last 20 years, whether as a noninvasive tool for research or a fun form of recreation. But in the hunting world, trail camera use has never been more hotly debated. On this episode, Tom Kuglin of the Montana State New Bureau, fleshes out the debate and tells us where Montana lands in it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the grizzly population has grown, so too has the political divide in the country and Montana. How will polarization shape the future of grizzlies, a species that can be both revered and divisive. Tom Kuglin joins us to talk about his reporting around the political divide over grizzly bears and how wide-ranging it is.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bear management in Indian Country looks very different from the mainstream public lands approach. For one thing, there’s a strong religious component. This episode contains a reading by Robert Chaney, author and long-time reporter for the Missoulian, from his book “The Grizzly in the Driveway: The Return of Bears to a Crowded American West.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A radio-collared grizzly trekked 2,800 miles through Montana and Idaho. Her trail shows the many places bears may soon inhabit as the species recovers - areas that haven’t had grizzlies for a century. This episode contains a reading by Robert Chaney, author and long-time reporter for the Missoulian, from his book “The Grizzly in the Driveway: The Return of Bears to a Crowded American West.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grizzly bears don’t attend policy meetings. Our reactions to their activity may be rooted in economics, fear, adoration or politics. A comprehensive survey of Montana grizzly attitudes found that we love having the great bear on the landscape, and we think hunting them would be a good idea. Current science indicates those two opinions will conflict, as people assume hunting bears will solve problems when instead it may push grizzly populations back into endangered status. Can both humans and grizzly bears adapt to share the landscape they both claim? Kia Gardner sits down with Rob Chaney from the Missoulian newspaper to introduce the second week of a two-week series where the many issues around the uneasy coexistence of grizzlies and humans are examined in full. Produced over the past year by some of the country’s foremost outdoor reporters and photojournalists, the series is publishing in Lee newspapers across Wyoming and Montana.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Black bears used to cause havoc in Virginia City, but efforts to neutralize attractants changed that. Now, residents hope those efforts have prepared them for their next likely visitors - grizzlies. Kia Gardner sits down with Michael Cast, formerly of the Montana Standard newspaper, and talks about Virginia City, located between both grizzly recovery areas, and how the community has gotten "bear smart."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brad Treat’s fatal bike collision with a grizzly illustrates the challenge of recreating in bear country. With both bear populations and human activity on the upswing, conflicts will grow accordingly. This episode contains a reading by Robert Chaney, author and long-time reporter for the Missoulian, from his book “The Grizzly in the Driveway: The Return of Bears to a Crowded American West.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two hundred years ago, grizzly bears ruled the West. Today, people have taken that throne and relegated Ursus arctos horribilis to a fraction of its former range. But the bears — backed by legal protection and decades of recovery efforts – have begun reasserting themselves, in some cases appearing in areas where they hadn’t been seen for nearly a century. The slow but steady expansion has led to an increase in bear-human conflicts that run the gamut from minor to deadly – trash-can rummages, chicken-coop break-ins, livestock depredation, fatal human maulings. As both bear and human populations grow in the region, experts say the number of conflicts will grow as well. That leaves stakeholders to grapple with how people should react when grizzlies eventually meander through their properties, and whether the bears will adapt to the limits we impose on them. Kia Gardner sits down with Rob Chaney from the Missoulian newspaper to introduce the first week of a two-week series where the many issues around the uneasy coexistence of grizzlies and humans are examined in full. Produced over the past year by some of the country’s foremost outdoor reporters and photojournalists, the series is publishing in Lee newspapers across Wyoming and Montana.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two hundred years ago, grizzly bears ruled the Montana landscape. Today, people have taken that throne and relegated the animal to a fraction of its former range. But the bears - backed by legal protection and decades of recovery effort - have begun reasserting themselves, in some cases wandering through areas they haven’t been spotted in for decades. The slow expansion has led to an increase in bear conflicts that run the gamut in severity - trash can rummages, chicken coop break-ins, attacks on large livestock, fatal human maulings. And as both human and bear populations continue to swell, experts say the number of conflicts will grow as well. That leaves stakeholders to grapple with how people should react when grizzlies eventually meander through their properties and whether the bears will adapt to the limits we impose on them. For the next two weeks we are going to do things a little differently on this podcast as we focus on a new series of reporting called “Grizzlies and Us” that launches January 9th. A team of reporters from newspapers across Montana, Idaho and Wyoming have devoted the better part of a year to this project that digs into our sometimes successful and sometimes fraught coexistence with one of the west’s most iconic animals. The aim is to dissect and answer two major questions: how do we live with grizzly bears and how do they live with us?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As of Jan. 1, 2022 the sale of recreational cannabis is legal in the State of Montana. On this episode, Seaborn Larson talks about the road to recreational cannabis in Montana. What route did providers, local regulators and law enforcement take as they prepared for the new cannabis landscape in Montana?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tom Kuglin of the Montana State News Bureau goes over a proposal from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks major changes to limited-entry elk permits for 14 central Montana hunting districts, including elimination of permits in some districts or opening up general license hunting on private land for bull elk. The districts that are part of this proposal are all 200% or above population objectives with elk largely concentrated on private land. The proposed changes would mark a significant shift in elk management for multiple districts in Region 4 and 5. In eight hunting districts, the number of limited-permits would be cut roughly in half and restricted to public lands. On private lands, hunting for bulls would switch to a general license. The remaining six district proposals are a mix of dropping permits altogether or during archery seasons or increasing the number of permits. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot has happened as bureau reporters Holly Michels and Seaborn Larson continue to follow the state attorney general and his office's involvement in a dispute with the hospital in Helena over the treatment of a COVID-19 patient. Michels and Larson run down what’s new, including information about the involvement of state Public Service Commissioner Jennifer Fielder, the political reactions to an inquiry into the events and what remains unclear about what happened. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Montana State News Bureau's Holly Michels this week talks about her coverage St. Peter's Health, the hospital in Helena, saying their doctors and other staff were threatened and had their medical judgement questioned by three public officials, including Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen. This isn't the first time Knudsen, whose office disputed the hospital's description of the incident, has waded into local matters. Michels will explain about the attorney general getting involved with another case in Helena and how his actions differ from his predecessors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Big Sky Lede, Montana State News Bureau reporter Tom Kuglin discusses a proposal from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks that seeks to make significant changes to hunting districts and permitting. The proposals, generated by state wildlife biologists and managers across Montana’s seven administrative regions, came at the direction of FWP Director Hank Worsech. The directive instructed biologists to propose ways to “simplify” hunting regulations primarily by reducing the total number of hunting districts and types of licenses and permits. The current process is unique in its statewide scope and the raw number of proposed changes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Big Sky Lede, reporter Holly Michels and host Thom Bridge discuss the hectic 36 hours before a judge in Montana put a temporary halt to three new abortion laws in the state. From the erroneous removal of a judge to filings before the state Supreme Court and finally the issuing of a 10-day restraining order on the new laws, they’ll break down the complicated timeline and explain what to expect next. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Montana State News Bureau reporter Sam Wilson discusses the state’s system for reporting lobbying expenses. He explains his findings after documenting that spending from the recent legislative session, including who the biggest spenders were, where the money came from and areas where transparency falls short.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Montana State News Bureau Deputy Bureau Chief Tom Kuglin talks about some major changes coming to deer and elk hunting in Montana. A new directive from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Director Hank Worsech aims to simplify hunting regulations with a top-down review of hunting districts, licenses and permits. Both interviews and documents detail the early stages of the changes, which include elimination of many hunting districts and combining them as well as elimination or consolidation of types of licenses and permits. That will produce larger hunting districts likely with fewer license or permit types. Biologists have been directed to come up with proposals that FWP will bring out to the public that focus on biology rather than social concerns. Officials expect significant public input as they draft a plan for the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission, which will make the final decision ahead of the 2022 season. What all these changes will ultimately mean is too early to say, but hunters should expect regulations to look much different in the future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Red Pill Festival drew Christian conservatives and conspiracy theorists to Saint Regis last month, a gathering meant to build a community for fringe ideas that have more frequently entered the mainstream. Elected GOP lawmakers spoke at the event about getting involved in local politics, and distinguishing allies from "enemies," particularly those branded as Republicans In Name Only. Former Washington state Rep. Matt Shea, found to have engaged in domestic terrorism by his own political peers, headlined the event and brought attendees, from Washington, Idaho and western Montana, to their feet. In this episode of Big Sky Lede, Lee State Bureau reporter Seaborn Larson and producer Thom Bridge talk about the ideas that animated the Red Pill Festival, and which of those ideas have already made an appearance in the Montana Statehouse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Montana’s troubled teen industry is tucked into the wooded mountains of northwest Montana, where these programs treat youth with different behavioral health issues in the isolated landscape away from their homes and family and friends. The industry has undergone a few sea changes in regulations over the past 16 years to better ensure the safety of these participants, but issues remain. Late last month bureau reporter Seaborn Larson learned about a suicide at a therapeutic boarding school for troubled girls outside of Thompson Falls, and we now know that state officials are investigating the death. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the legislative session, a program that hasn’t ever really been in the spotlight before got a lot of attention. It’s the Comprehensive School and Community Treatment Program, also known as CSCT. It’s a program that provides behavioral health treatment to students while they’re in school, during the school day. There’s been long-simmering funding problems for the program that finally came to a head over the last year. Lawmakers thought they created a fix for things this winter, but now it’s looking like that might not be the case.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Help wanted” signs have become ubiquitous in Montana at restaurants, stores and other businesses across economic sectors and up and down the income ladder over the past few months. As vaccines have become broadly available alongside the onset of summer, there’s been an acute labor shortage for many jobs. This week, Sam Wilson shares his reporting and the data he's found trying to understand Montana's workforce shortage. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For anyone that enjoys Montana’s waters or taps it for their livelihoods, trends into the early summer are a cause for concern. The fabled Smith River has seen numerous record daily flows, essentially cutting a month from the floating season. The Ruby River is already in its second fishing closure for the year due to low flows. And temperature spikes in the lower Madison, Jefferson and multiple other rivers is quickly becoming a daily accounting of the impacts from drought poised to shape this summer. In this episode of Big Sky Lede, Lee State Bureau natural resources reporter Tom Kuglin and producer Thom Bridge talk about the concerning situation on the waters, what it means for recreation and irrigation, and whether forecasts call for any relief in sight.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, reporter Seaborn Larson tells us how Darigold canceled its 30-year contract with the Montana State Prison, forcing the state's prison work program, Montana Correctional Enterprises, to scale down its dairy operation from 350 head to about 70, enough to produce milk to self-sustain the Department of Correction's facilities around the state. Then, Tom Kuglin talks about how the state of Montana is trading Holsteins for hens at Montana State Prison, hopeful that a new pheasant rearing and release program will help recruit hunters and provide inmates continued work opportunities. Welcome to the second season of Big Sky Lede, where our team brings you an examination of Montana’s new landscape with new laws, a new governor and a new republican dominance across all of state government. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New laws. New governor. New administration. November 2020 had major implications for Montana. Voters put Republicans into every statewide office, the governor’s chair and in expanded margins in the Legislature. For the last four months, the Montana State News Bureau documented the bills lawmakers passed that will mean dramatic changes for Montana. Now, we’re reporting on the execution of those new laws. On this season of Big Sky Lede, we’ll dive into the new landscape. The list of changes Montana’s about to go through is long: There’s the framework lawmakers set up to spend billions in federal coronavirus aid that will unfurl over the summer. We have more restrictive voting laws, passed with support of the new Republican Secretary of State. The bill to pass a recreational marijuana program seemed like a herculean lift, but now the real work starts with putting the provisions in place. There’s still debate over changes to hunting laws affecting outfitters' businesses. And that’s just the start of a slew of new laws that’s facing the state. Our team will explain all the changes Montana’s going through as a result of the legislative session. We’ll track the litigation over some of the more contentious new laws. And we’ll also keep following the unprecedented GOP-led investigation into the judicial branch that’s left the state Supreme Court and Republican lawmakers at loggerheads We’ll also have an eye on the new administration and how it puts its stamp on state government, from the policies and programs it advances to seeing if their new tax cuts are able to boost the state’s economy. We’ll share our reporting on the stories that chronicle a changing Montana, from interview with the governing and the governed, our team’s breakdown of the details and insights that go beyond the headlines and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 67th session of the Montana Legislature ended last week as lawmakers put the final touches on the state budget and plans to spend about $2 billion in federal covid aid. Our bureau was there to cover it all, and on this episode they’ll explain how it all wrapped up in the last few days. There was a late scramble by some Republicans to amend previously voted down policy into remaining bills. There was also a last-ditch effort to change a bipartisan broked deal on cannabis implementation that hung up lawmakers for hours on the final day of the session. The 80-day term saw major efforts to overhaul the state’s hunting, wildlife management and public lands access landscape. And long-time voting access rules changed with backing from a GOP-majority Legislature and backing from the Secretary of State. To wrap up, the team shares their takeaways from a session unlike any other, and not only because it was held in a pandemic. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lawmakers came back to the Capitol on Tuesday after a brief shutdown because of COVID-19 and they wasted no time getting back into action. Reporter Seaborn Larson covered one of the most controversial bills of the session, one to block gender-affirming care for transgender minors. It died by a procedural move in the Senate on Tuesday. He’ll explain how that happened. Seaborn also continued his coverage of the conflict between the legislative and judiciary branches of government. He’ll discuss what happened when all seven justices showed up unexpectedly at an investigatory hearing led by GOP lawmakers. Reporter Sam Wilson also had some court coverage this week. Sam wrote about the second lawsuit filed so far to challenge legislation backed by the GOP and signed by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte. Sam has closely tracked the two bills at the root of the challenge -- one that ended Montana’s same-day voter registration and another that tightened up what counts as a voter ID to register and vote. Sam will walk through who filed the lawsuit, what their concerns are and why these bills were priorities for the GOP this session. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s episode, we’re going to do things a little different. With a standoff brewing between the legislative branch and the judicial branch of government over legislation advocated for by the executive branch, reporter Seaborn Larson spends the entire show explaining what’s happening and what to expect next. Host Thom Bridge, deputy Tom Kuglin and bureau head Holly Michels also chime in. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Things are moving quickly as we get toward the end of the Legislative session, with rumors of wrapping up by the end of this month. This week Holly Michels, head of the bureau, runs down the status of a major piece of the puzzle still missing — the implementation of a recreational marijauna program. Three bills cleared the House, what’s next for them? Holly will also walk through reporting from Seaborn Larson on the legal challenge to the new law giving the governor direct appointment power when there’s a judicial vacancy. Emails obtained by the Montana State News Bureau show judges around the state weighed in on the bill, posing challenges for who can hear the case now. And then deputy Tom Kuglin will explain what happened with a bill that would have originally let state agencies charge the public to comment on environmental impact statements and how the bill was dramatically changed to make it less controversial. Tom will also describe how the pandemic made the public lands rally that normally fills the state Capitol building a much different event this year and get into a bill Gov. Greg Gianforte just signed that will put Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks conservation easements under the Montana Land Board, reversing a policy that under his predecessor went to the state Supreme Court. Then Holly wraps up with the possibility of the Legislature overriding Gianforte’s first veto, something that hasn’t happened in nearly two decades. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the Legislature took up not just one, but three proposals to implement a recreational marijuana program in Montana. Reporter Seaborn Larson covered all of them and deciphers some unexpected drama as the bills crashed up against a legislative deadline. Then deputy Tom Kuglin explains a bill that would change how prescriptive easements work in Montana, including a pitch to create a formal registration process along with fees and possible limitations if there’s public lands access nearby. To wrap up, reporter Sam Wilson walks through how a bill to increase access to voting on the state’s reservations, a proposal that a legislative committee worked on extensively, ended up dying on the House floor. He’ll also talk about two bills that would prohibit so-called “vaccine passports” and loosen vaccine requirements, right as the state ramps up efforts to immunize residents against COVID-19. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s show, Holly Michels, head of the bureau, dives into the $2.7 billion Montana is expected to get from the federal American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress. While a lot is still up in the air about the funding, Holly shares what she’s been tracking. Then reporter Seaborn Larson details what happened at initial Senate confirmation hearings for two judges appointed by former Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock. If the Senate doesn’t approve the judges, it means Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte can directly appoint to fill the vacancies under a new law Gianforte advocated for. All that’s happening as a legal challenge to the law advances. Seaborn will also explain what’s going on with COVID-19 cases at the Capitol. A lawmaker tested positive this week but for the first time refused to release their name. And then deputy Tom Kuglin will update what’s happened with a number of bills he’s tracking to change hunting laws in the state. Tom will also talk about how high demand was on the state’s great outdoor recreation opportunities last summer because of the pandemic and what we can expect to see this year as the weather warms up. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s episode, reporter Seaborn Larson delves into a quickly filed lawsuit over a bill signed by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte giving himself the power to appoint judges. And then Seaborn takes a long-awaited first glimpse at the hefty bill to create a recreational cannabis program in the state. There’s a rough online of where the money from a 20% on sales might go, and not everyone is happy about it. To wrap up, reporter Sam Wilson will shed some light on a pretty complicated piece of legislation that gets into the idea of “takings.” It’s a bill that could have huge effects on the state, a fiscal note says it’s impossible to estimate the economic fallout.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s episode of Big Sky Lede takes a bit of a different format. We’ll run down what’s going on in the Capitol and around state government, but also spend some time reflecting on the year-mark of the coronavirus pandemic in Montana. Up first, Deputy Tom Kuglin talks elk management and a bill that would drastically change Montana's approach to it. The bill, crafted by Republican Speaker of the House Wylie Galt in coordination with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park, saw a lot of opposition both on the process that brought it and its contents. Then Reporter Seaborn Larson delves into the Montana’s new attorney general joining a lawsuit that’s aimed at stalling out immigration policy coming from the Biden administration. Through reporting that lawsuit, Seaborn found another story about Montana quietly entering into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security over the enforcement of immigration laws. Then, the bureau’s reporters have a roundtable discussion on the passage of a year since Montana's first COVID-19 cases and the process of chasing the story, from the early days when everything was up in the air to living through a pandemic while reporting on it. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Legislature hits the midway mark, our team breaks down what’s happened so far, what’s left to come and our observations along the way. Holly Michels, head of the bureau, walks through what bills have already passed the Legislature and how other key priorities have fared. She’ll also run through what died up against the transmittal deadline and how busy the last two days before the break were. Then reporter Seaborn Larson casts an eye toward what is likely to be the biggest issue of the second half of the session -- the implementation of legalized recreational cannabis. He’ll explain who’s working to create the program, where the money generated from taxes on marijuana might go and what we can glean from the state’s experience creating a medical marijuana program. To wrap up, reporter Sam Wilson will run through what’s alive and dead when it comes to legislation related to how Montanans vote. He’ll detail the revival of the Ballot Protection Interference Act, a legislative referendum voters approved in 2018 but was struck down by a Billings judge in 2020. There's also a major proposal to increase access to voting on Montana’s reservations that nearly failed by lack of passing the deadline but got a last-minute reprieve. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are taking a quick break this week, but we will back next week for transmittal deadline of general bills at the legislature. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's episode, deputy Tom Kuglin digs into the dynamic between the Montana Legislature and the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission as lawmakers debate bills that would usurp the commission rule-making process. Then reporter Seaborn Larson shares the details behind a lawsuit and subsequent court ruling when evidence was spoiled by Montana Highway Patrol, and explains how the new head of the patrol was involved in that mishandling of a video from a trooper's car. To wrap up, reporter Sam Wilson give us an outline of how infrastructure legislation is working its way through the halls of the Capitol this session and how a bonding deal brokered in 2019 is holding up. This podcast from the Montana State News Bureau is created in partnership across five newsrooms – the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Republic, the Missoulian, the Montana Standard and the Ravalli-Republic. You can support this podcast and our efforts by subscribing. Visit any of these newspapers’ websites, and click on the Become a Member button at the top of the home page. We appreciate your support of local journalism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gov. Greg Gianforte said he’s lifting the statewide mask mandate. Bureau head Holly Michels was at the press conference where he made the announcement. She'll explain why it’s happening and how people are reacting. Deputy Tom Kuglin covered a bill this week that would allow non-tribal members to hunt on fee lands within tribal reservations. He delves into the reasons the lawmaker brought it and why tribes say it doesn’t acknowledge their sovereignty. And then the newest team member, data reporter Sam Wilson, walks through some of the elections and campaign coverage he’s been doing, from calls for “voter integrity” to concerns measures will restrict access to the polls.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Montana State News Bureau investigative reporter Seaborn Larson digs into a bill that would eliminate the Judicial Nominating Commission and give the governor sole authority in appointing judges when a vacancy occurs. He'll walk through why the governor wants the bill and why the state created the commission in the first place. Then bureau deputy Tom Kuglin runs down the reasons a Thompson Falls lawmaker wants to allow the use of snares to trap wolves and why opponents don’t think it’s a good idea. He'll also discuss a pitch to create a muzzleloader season for the heritage firearm. And bureau head Holly Michels will explain how legislation to eliminate same-day voter registration came back from the dead this week and who might have applied pressure and where to get the bill moved to the state House.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A little more than four weeks into the Legislature, lawmakers are already moving through some of the most controversial legislation they’ll hear this session. Reporter Seaborn Larson explains the reasons behind that, and dives into the why testimony on one of those bills got shut down when a rabbi and reverend both tried to talk about racism. A bill that would have penalized doctors for providing gender-affirming care to transgender minors met an unexpected end on the House floor. Bureau head Holly Michels walks through what the lawmakers who changed their minds said after the vote. Gov. Greg Gianforte raised some eyebrows when he released the salaries for his cabinet positions. Deputy Tom Kuglin breaks down how much higher their paychecks will be than their predecessors and the administration’s justification. And while the House has been the venue for most of the fireworks this session so far, the Senate had its own emotional, and at times, contentious hearing for a bill to crossbows during archery seasons for hunters with disabilities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, reporter Seaborn Larson and photographer Thom Bridge explain what it was like to cover a no-show protest at the state Capitol, a welcome surprise after warnings of armed crowds on Inauguration Day. Lawmakers also heard legislation to limit access to abortions, bills that aren’t as likely to be vetoed this session. Opponents to all but promise legal challenges if the proposals become law. Bureau head Holly Michels explains why Montana’s unique state Constitution makes the landscape here different than other states. And a pair of Republicans from Thompson Falls are bringing legislation that could dramatically change the way Montana manages its wolf population. Deputy Tom Kuglin dives into what's been tried before and what's new this session.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.