Montana Public Radio News

Have you ever looked at a mountain and wondered why there were trees on one side but none on the other? Or noticed different species growing on opposite sides? Well, you barked up the right tree. Find out how trees choose sides in the mountain face off, right here on The Big Why.

Montana policymakers made housing affordability a top issue at the statehouse, but mobile home park residents feel left out. After three legislative sessions of asking for more tenant protections, there's been little change to the law. Residents are facing rent hikes and insecurity as parks are sold, often to out-of-state buyers.

The Trump administration recently announced its plans to repeal a 20 year-old policy that prevented road construction and logging on some federal public lands. The Roadless Rule applies to 6 million acres in Montana.

Montana's largest electric utility has temporarily pulled back on increasing customer bills. NorthWestern Energy raised customer rates by 17% in May but has now agreed to apply a smaller increase for at least the next few billing cycles.

The Montana State Hospital lost its federal certification in 2022 due to patient deaths. That decertification means the state can't bill Medicaid or Medicare for patient services – a funding loss that has cost the state millions of dollars. State health officials plan to apply for federal recertification next year.

Montana's only statewide food bank warns that at least 12,000 residents are at risk of losing some or all of their federal food benefits. The overhaul of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, coincides with growing demand for food pantry services in Montana.

Missoula's largest music festival in decades brought in big bucks for the county over Independence Day weekend. County officials say the festival went off without any hitches, from the their perspective.

A new lawsuit claims the Montana Department of Environmental Quality failed to assess how nutrient pollution from septic systems near the town of Big Sky will harm the Gallatin River.

The state health department plans to request federal approval to enact both Medicaid work requirements and co-payments for doctor visits in September. The department opened a 60-day public comment period.

Highway 93 cuts through the heart of the Mission Valley and crucial habitat for turtles and other wildlife. Researchers with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes want to build safer routes.

The whereabouts of a former southwest Montana teacher are unknown after he was charged with failing to register as a violent offender.

Montana's newest constitutional right took effect this month — the right to terminate a pregnancy. A challenge to its legality is trying to find footing.

Independence Day weekend is one of the busiest for the northwest Montana town of Bigfork. The lakeside community's annual parade drew thousands to downtown at noon, but festivities kicked off early.

Firework sales are booming again in Montana this year as managers say they mostly dodged price hikes amid a trade war with China.

Montana's U.S. Senators backed President Donald Trump's colossal tax and spending bill in a razor-thin vote July 1. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” has passed the Senate.

Land managers are asking Montanans to be extra vigilant about fire safety heading into the long Independence Day weekend.

Montana officials and the federal government have agreed to co-manage a section of national forest lands.

The Montana Department of Revenue is mailing property classification and appraisal notices. This information is used by county treasurers to determine property taxes owed for this year and next.

People have lived in Big Sky Country for a little more than 10,000 years. But living things creeped and crawled and swam around here for hundreds of millions of years before then. A Big Why listener wanted to know when life showed up in the place we now call Montana.

Fire crews are getting the upper hand on a stubborn wildfire that's burned south of MacDonald Pass for the past couple of weeks. The Jericho Mountain fire is now listed as 89% contained.

$21 million in opioid settlement money is flowing into Montana communities, and the Meth Project is getting some of that funding. But, drug prevention experts say the program isn't backed by evidence.

News of former U.S. Congressman Pat Williams' death broke late Wednesday night. By daybreak Thursday, messages of condolences, respect and admiration for Williams started flooding Montana email inboxes and on social media.

Wally McRae – cowboy poet, Colstrip rancher, lover of literature and the land - died last weekend at the age of 89.

Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have expanded access to free school meals.

Summertime in Western Montana means long days, time outside, and for many, farmer's markets. But beyond the once a week event, people have become increasingly distanced from their food. One local publication is working to change that.

The day was abnormally rainy and cold for June in Montana, with clouds hanging low over Mount Sentinel, but that didn't stop artists from setting up shop in long lines of white tents throughout Caras Park.

Governor Greg Gianforte signed a two-year budget outlining more than $16 billion in spending.

America's weekend airstrikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities earned unanimous praise from Montana's Republican congressional delegation.

Montana has received federal approval to provide Medicaid-funded housing services to assist those with behavioral health needs find housing.

Most Montanans have probably heard the old phrase: "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute and it will change." Montanans could get a striking demonstration of that phenomenon this week, forecasters say.

A group of local, state, and federal partners is studying how to better prepare for future large flooding events in the Flathead. The work looks different but is moving forward after federal funds were rescinded.

Many Montana schools faced defeat at the ballot box this May as they requested taxpayer dollars to pay for upgrades that keep students and staff safe. Two Missoula-area schools that say they won't be able to keep their security up to date.

Libraries do more than just lend books. They offer community events, classes, access to computers — and they help preserve cultural knowledge. But, public funding is being slashed, delayed or taken back as the Trump Administration works to cut government programs. After recent federal cuts, one listener wants to know what's going to happen to rural museums and libraries across the state.

After a rash of federal job cuts earlier this year, the U.S. Forest Service is reversing course and asking people qualified to fight fires to come back to work. Missoulian outdoors reporter Sam Wilson sat down with MTPR's Austin Amestoy with more.

Senate Bill 188 would have established a voluntary, subscription-style option for businesses or individual homeowners to purchase shares of a solar array. They could then be credited on their monthly bill for the electricity generated by the solar panels.

The number of measles cases in Montana continues to rise. Twenty people have contracted the virus since April. Most cases have come from out-of-state travel, but measles may now be spreading in Gallatin County.

Helena Public Schools trustees voted to close its historic Hawthorne Elementary. The district cites the need to close a budget gap.

In 2023, a state audit found a culture of retaliation among Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks' leadership. Last week, legislators were told the agency has made progress, but there's more work ahead.

Montana's Republican congressional delegation unanimously supports Israel's military strikes against Iran.

With the legislative session over, lawmakers are beginning to look at how to solve some of the state's biggest issues. They'll study competitive bidding for government contracts, and which branch of government should estimate the cost of a proposed law, among other issues.

Montana families with transgender children are quickly losing access to care. A Missoula hospital Wednesday announced it would stop offering gender-affirming care to minors. It is the latest hospital system to stop offering that service.

For the last 25 years, intrepid groups of teens have set out to explore, document and preserve some of the most fragile ecosystems around Montana: caves. Ahead of National Cave Week, Montana Public Radio's Ellis Juhlin joined them for a trip deep into the Judith Mountains.