Montana Public Radio News

The supposed Republican frontrunner in the U.S. Senate race is off to a timid start. The independent candidate in that race vows not to resort to namecalling. Two of the candidates for the U.S. House make no such promise. A national Conservative group is working hard to defeat moderate Republicans running for the Legislature. And the Gianforte administration reconsiders its ban on weekend rallies at the Capitol.

Zoning laws aimed at incentivizing home construction have survived a legal challenge. The Montana Supreme Court ruled they are constitutional.

School safety experts say many Montana schools lack the planning and technology needed to adequately respond to threats from natural disasters to shooters.

A first-of-its-kind statewide health insurance trust for school employees got the green light from state regulators last week. Administrators are hopeful it could help control one of education's most expensive line items.

A recent federal court ruling may increase what some Montanans pay for electricity. The order directs certain dams in the northwest to limit the amount of water used for generating electricity. The change marks the latest strain on western electricity cooperatives.

The state's largest utility is signing agreements to power data centers. But, the details of those agreements have remained unavailable to the public. Now a coalition of climate and energy groups is demanding state regulators release that information.

When your trumpet is crumpled or your flute sounds flat, rural western Montana can be a tough place to find a fix. That's where Music Medics comes in. It's an instrument repair shop that started hitting the road last fall to keep school bands across the region playing in tune.

A jury ruled in favor of Ravalli County Thursday in a federal class-action lawsuit over the county's Jail Diversion Program. A jury ruled that the fees inmates pay for that program are constitutional.

State health officials remain committed to a plan for implementing work requirements and other major changes to Medicaid months before a federal deadline. Federal officials aren't expected to release detailed guidance until June, raising concerns about whether the state's plan is feasible.

Democratic candidates for the western district House seat try to differentiate themselves from the pack. One area they differ: whether or not to take PAC money. Montana voters may get a chance to change campaign spending laws in the state. And one of the Democratic candidates hopes to channel the campaign success of a former governor.

A ballot initiative aimed at restricting dark money in Montana elections is advancing. Dubbed "The Montana Plan," the proposal would prohibit any entity that does business in Montana from contributing to candidates, political parties or ballot issues.

Democrats competing in Montana's western district congressional race met for a debate in Butte Tuesday. They discussed money in politics, data centers and access to health care, among other topics. While the candidates found some distinction between their views, they agree on most issues.

Have you had any unexpected bird sightings this winter? Maybe you saw birds in unexpected places or times. Or maybe birds you expected never showed up. You're not alone. Bird researchers – and an observant listener – have noticed, too. That listener wants to know: What do we know about how climate change is impacting birds, both in and out of Montana?

An elementary school near Great Falls lost a portion of its roof Sunday after severe wind battered the region.

Montana's top health official pushed back on allegations that a new mental health facility will harm Laurel residents' quality of life. Residents have questioned the facility since it was proposed late last year.

Montana Democrats gathered in Helena over the weekend to rally ahead of the 2026 election. Party leaders focused their message on rebuilding support for Democrats and unifying around their candidates.

Severe winter weather arrives in Montana this week leading to the potential for blizzards. Officials are asking people to be wary of travel plans starting Thursday. Schools in the Flathead Valley and Butte will be closed Thursday in preparation for the storm.

State environmental officials in 2023 determined a wastewater lagoon serving Holland Lake Lodge had been leaking for an unknown period of time. It's taken another two years for the Flathead National Forest to propose a fix to the lagoon, which sits on public land. The lodge's owner recently got county permission to pump the lodge's sewage into a separate holding tank while the Forest Service works to build the new wastewater system this summer.

The Laurel City Council will consider whether to pause the annexation of property into the city later this month. The proposal comes as residents and council members accuse the state of not being transparent about its plans to build a mental health facility.

Daines is out, Alme and Bodnar are in. Flint is in, Zinke is out. Sheehy is in ... a scuffle in the Senate. Just another week in Montana politics.

U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, Montana's top federal law enforcement officer, resigned from office Wednesday, the same day he launched a surprise campaign for U.S. Senate.

Former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar officially launched his campaign for U.S. Senate Wednesday as an independent.

Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is retiring and withdrawing his reelection bid. Daines, Montana's senior senator dropped out just moments before the deadline to join or withdraw from a race. He anointed the state's U.S. Attorney to take his place in the election.

Montana Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy joined Capitol Police as they ejected a man protesting military action in Iran from a committee hearing. Sheehy ran to help the officers remove Brian McGinnis, a Marine Corps veteran and Senate candidate. During the scuffle, McGinnis's arm appears to snap.

The U.S. Secretary of the Interior met with mining executives and local government officials at the site of the largest Superfund complex in the world to discuss how to revitalize Montana's former mining hub.

A 2023 state law requires 10 municipalities to update their land use plans before the end of this May. These plans detail how communities want their growth and development to look over the next two decades. Whitefish is almost done with their plan, but local government is torn on recent revisions.

Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen is the third Republican in 24 hours to enter Montana's western district U.S. House race after Rep. Ryan Zinke announced he would retirement at the end of his term next January.

Montana lawmakers have asked the Montana Department of Military Affairs to investigate allegations of sexual harassment and financial mismanagement at the Fort Harrison VA Medical Center.

Montana's congressional delegates are united in their support for the war in Iran. Sen. Daines and Rep. Zinke also say they'll vote against a war powers resolution that would limit Trump from taking additional unilateral action in the region.

Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke announced Monday he's retiring from office at the end of his term in January. His exit opens the door for new candidates to run.

The nominee to lead the country's largest land management agency had his Senate confirmation hearing last week. The hearing centered around the nominee's track record supporting the sale of federal public lands.

Gov. Gianforte says one of his top priorities before leaving office is to pass a flat income tax rate. The state's healthy budget has supported tax cuts in recent legislative sessions, but revenue growth is slowing.

Agricultural producers across the nation are aging out. In her podcast Reframing Rural, Montana-born journalist Megan Torgerson explores this issue and others that impact rural communities across the state. In her latest season, Succession Stories, Torgerson asks Montana farmers and ranchers one of the biggest questions they face today: who's going to take over their land? MTPR's Victoria Traxler sits down with Torgerson to hear what she learned

A recent poll has good news for Montana Sen. Steve Daines' re-election chances. A longtime Democratic legislator enters the eastern district Congressional race. A new nonpartisan political group forms to elect "principled candidates." And past and present Montana politicians have opposing takes on the State of the Union

"Harmonic rippling pattern" might seem like a description of the soothing sounds from a white-noise generator lulling you to sleep. That's close. But in this case, the noise machine is your car and the rippling pattern is the washboard road you're bouncing over. One listener wants to know what causes these washboard patterns.

A coalition of historical groups, parks advocacy organizations and scientists are suing the National Park Service for removing signs about climate change, Indigenous history, slavery and other historical topics. The litigants say the removals erase history and undermine science.

A Democratic state senator from Box Elder entered the race for Montana's eastern congressional district. Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy has been a state legislator since 2003. He's a member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe and has long focused on issues like Native language preservation, state-tribal relations and child welfare.

A federal court ruled Tuesday that BNSF Railway can't be held liable for vermiculite shipments that spread asbestos contamination along its tracks in Libby.

Montana is falling far short of best practices when it comes to paying for school maintenance. That's according to a new nationwide report on school facilities. The message from Montana's school maintenance directors to lawmakers is straightforward: “We need help.”

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned many of the Trump administration's tariffs on foreign imports. The ruling is welcome news for Montana agriculture producers, who have been facing rising costs and shrinking markets.

Lincoln County was hit hard by flooding from winter storms in 2025. Records of major floods in the area date nearly 100 years. A closer look at that history shows decades of mitigation measures, plans and preparations that officials say prevented further catastrophe in December.

Sen. Daines files for reelection, and raises eyebrows over his association with a controversial State Department nominee. Montana's incumbent congressmen stand by Trump's economic policies, but do voters? Will he or won't he? Former UM President Seth Bodnar has yet to announce his political ambitions.