Montana Public Radio News

The Daily Inter Lake's Jack Underhill is based in Kalispell and has been following the situation. He sat down with MTPR's Elinor Smith to explain the timeline of discovery and how city officials handled the information.

This week on The Big Why: A listener is curious about recyclables that don't get recycled in Montana. Namely, why is plastic recycling so limited? "We're all encouraged to recycle. But when it comes right down to it, what happens to the things we actually recycle?"

Conservation group American Prairie announced its second largest land acquisition in the history of the nonprofit. Like previous American Prairie land purchases, the move has stirred controversy.

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority recently hosted a conference in Livingston's retired railroad station. It focused on restoring stops like the Historic Depot through renewing Amtrak's Big Sky North Coast Corridor.

Montana wildlife managers are allowing hunters to kill a record number of wolves this season. Supporters of the policy say the practice helps reduce livestock losses to wolves. New research indicates that's not necessarily the case.

Helena voters approved two school bonds by a few hundred votes, unofficial results showed Wednesday. A new high school, elementary school and extensive renovations are on the way.

Duane Ankney, a former Montana legislator and longtime advocate for Colstrip, has died at the age of 79.

A district court has blocked the governor from intervening in an escalating dispute among state Public Service Commission (PSC) members over claims of sexual harassment. The PSC is the oversight board charged with regulating Montana's utilities

Two Native American voters in the Chippewa Cree Tribe are suing Chouteau County for minimizing the impact of Native voters' voices in local elections. They say at-large elections prevent Native Americans in the county from getting a fair say in who represents them.

Montanans are feeling the loss after the Trump administration cut more than a billion dollars for food aid programs.

The Trump administration wants to repeal greenhouse gas regulations that limit emissions for cars and a variety of other sources. State law prevents Montana from having air pollution standards stricter than the federal government.

State health officials are asking the federal government for permission to implement Medicaid work requirements early. Experts worry many people won't be able to keep up with the additional paperwork, even if they are working. KFF, a non-partisan health policy group, estimates 34,000 Montanans could lose coverage.

Montana's top elected leaders say they support President Donald Trump's recent deployment of the National Guard to Washington D.C. Troops there are acting as law enforcement, and Trump says he's considering sending the Guard into more cities.

Ballots are out for some local elections in Montana. Voters will decide on a variety of candidates and issues this fall.

Montana pediatricians have released their recommendations for childhood vaccines this year. But those suggestions differ from new federal guidelines.

More than six million acres of Montana forests could be opened up to road development under a new proposal from the Trump administration. Public comment on the proposal is open until September 19.

Montana's Medicaid office is struggling to process applications in a timely manner. The state is planning to fast track new work requirements and eligibility checks – which would mean even more paperwork for applicants and state officials.

Michael Paul Brown appeared via Zoom from the Butte-Silver Bow County Jail for the hearing in Anaconda. He's charged with four felony counts of deliberate homicide, one count of attempted arson, one count of theft and one count of fleeing a peace officer.

Community members of western Montana's Swan Valley are deciding what the future of the recreation destination should look like.

Gov. Greg Gianforte toured a correctional facility in Boulder Tuesday that serves as overflow space for the Women's Prison. State Corrections director Brian Gootkin says the Riverside facility is helping to ease backlogs, but a new women's prison is still needed.

Last school year, the state implemented a new standardized test designed to make sure students are meeting state and federal requirements. But teachers say the rollout has been a mess.

A federal program launched in 2021 offered billions of dollars for states to improve internet access. The funding was supposed to bring high-speed fiber optic service to rural areas. But companies using other technology, like satellites, won most of the locations.

Weather forecasters say chances are increasing for excessive rainfall in parts of western Montana this week, bringing the threat of flash flooding.

Temperatures can vary widely across a city, even in the same neighborhood. As the climate heats up, volunteers in Missoula are mapping hot spots in their community.

Helena voters next month will decide the fate of a more than quarter-billion-dollar public school bond. District officials say their buildings are crumbling, and without new facilities or major improvements, students and teachers could be forced to make painful compromises. Helena Independent Record education reporter Sonny Tapia has been following the story and joined MTPR's Austin Amestoy with more.

A wind energy development project in southeast Montana is facing pushback from neighbors. At the same time, the Trump administration is pushing for further investment into gas and oil energy. Montana Free Press' Tom Lutey joined Elinor Smith to explain.

As the song says, “don't go chasing waterfalls” — unless you're a research team looking for an elusive bird that only nests in the “splash zone.” MTPR's Ellis Juhlin recently joined one such group on a scouting trip.

State wildlife officials will take up a proposal Thursday to overhaul hunting regulations in order to reduce wolf numbers statewide. But locals near Yellowstone National Park say the proposal would impact the region's vulnerable wolf population and the economy built around it.

State economists say a lack of affordable child care has sidelined tens of thousands of parents from full-time work over the past few years. A grant program for employers is aimed at helping solve that problem.

Summertime at the county fair means rides, farm animals and lots of food. Whether it's turkey legs, cotton candy or corn dogs – trash goes along with ready-to-go food. But a collaboration between vendors and local organizations at the Western Montana Fair is working to divert that waste away from landfills.

A weed-control contractor stirred up outrage after driving a utility terrain vehicle nearly nine miles through the Blackfoot River. Powell County has been fined $500. Conservation groups are now calling on officials to pursue criminal charges.

A Missoula middle-school Lego engineering team won national recognition this summer for their big idea to clean the Earth's oceans. MTPR's Austin Amestoy visited the students at the Western Montana Fair to learn more.

Montanans who need help shopping for health insurance or enrolling in Medicaid may soon be on their own. The Trump administration is cutting federal funding for a service that helped people get insured.

Last month, a Missoula native became the youngest woman to swim the length of Flathead Lake. The 28 mile swim took Bella Seagrave from Somers to Polson.

This summer's weather has been a far cry from the scorching heat, bone-dry conditions and smokey air Montanans have come to expect this time of year. Meteorologists say more of this cooler, wetter weather is likely this month.

A Missoula-area factory that produces trim and siding for houses is set to lay off more than 100 employees next month. It's the third closure of its kind in the county in the last year.

Montana law enforcement Friday arrested a man suspected of killing four people in Anaconda. The news brought some relief to residents of the tight-knit community.

Montanans with marketplace health insurance plans will pay significantly more starting next year. That's because premiums are likely to spike just as federal benefits that help pay those bills expire.

Community Medical Center in Missoula is the latest hospital to stop offering treatments like puberty blockers or hormone therapy to kids. The Trump administration has subpoenaed hospitals for data on gender affirming care, and threatened to prosecute providers.

There have long been restrictions to protect Libby residents from drinking water contaminated by a former lumber mill. But a new report finds more properties outside the city may be at risk.

The Montana Supreme Court last year ordered state environmental regulators to redo their assessment of a power plant near Laurel. The new report is out, but environmental advocates aren't happy.

A lawsuit filed Wednesday argues Gov. Greg Gianforte unconstitutionally appointed a sitting legislator to lead an executive agency. It's the fourth time the governor has tapped a state lawmaker for a political appointment.