Former president Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., rallied on Sunday for leading Republican candidates in Montana, urging support for a conservative agenda that he said will help win races up and down ballots in November. The “Protecting Freedom” event was hosted by the recently formed Montana Association of Conservatives, or MAC-PAC, and featured speeches from U.S. Senate hopeful Tim Sheehy, U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke, Gov. Greg Gianforte and conservative political commentator Alex Bruesewitz. Speaking to a crowd of roughly 300 people at the University of Montana, the speakers ..read more

This story is excerpted from Capitolized, a weekly newsletter featuring expert reporting, analysis and insight from the reporters and editors of Montana Free Press. Want to see Capitolized in your inbox every Thursday? Sign up here.  President Joe Biden has tapped an attorney for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to replace Judge Dana Christensen in the U.S. District Court of Montana. Danna Jackson, a former U.S. attorney who served as chief legal counsel to the Montana Department of Natural Resources from 2016 to 2021, would be the first Native American federal judge in Montana ..read more

This story is excerpted from Capitolized, a weekly newsletter featuring expert reporting, analysis and insight from the reporters and editors of Montana Free Press. Want to see Capitolized in your inbox every Thursday? Sign up here. At least two Republican candidates for state and federal offices have had their ticket purchases refunded and been told they cannot attend a high-profile GOP campaign event this weekend. Donald Trump Jr., son and frequent campaign surrogate of the former and would-be future president, and conservative social media influencer Alex Bruesewitz are scheduled to appear ..read more

This story is excerpted from Capitolized, a weekly newsletter featuring expert reporting, analysis and insight from the reporters and editors of Montana Free Press. Want to see Capitolized in your inbox every Thursday? Sign up here. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy continues to dodge most opportunities to interview with Montana media.  That was again the case when he appeared last Friday, April 19, at the Yellowstone County Republican Central Committee Lincoln Reagan Dinner. A campaign staffer declined to make the candidate available for an interview with Montana Free Press, w ..read more

Get an insider’s look into what’s happening in and around the halls of power with expert reporting, analysis and insight from the editors and reporters of Montana Free Press. Sign up to get the free Capitolized newsletter delivered to your inbox every Thursday. April 25, 2024 Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy continues to dodge most opportunities to interview with Montana media.  That was again the case when he appeared last Friday at the Yellowstone County Republican Central Committee Lincoln Reagan Dinner. A campaign staffer declined to make the candidate ..read more

The top Medicaid official in Montana’s state health department has submitted his resignation and will be taking a job in the private sector, an agency spokesperson said Thursday afternoon. Mike Randol will leave the role of state Medicaid director almost two years after taking the position under the prior head of Gov. Greg Gianforte’s Department of Public Health and Human Services, Adam Meier. Department spokesperson Jon Ebelt said Randol’s resignation was accepted April 23 and his last day will be on May 10. “Mike has made lasting contributions to Montana’s Medicaid program during his tenure ..read more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized rules to reduce pollution associated with the combustion of fossil fuels for electricity. The new rules are anticipated to have major implications for Montana coal mines and the power plants they supply, including the state’s largest electricity generator located in Colstrip. The EPA’s adopted rules will “protect all communities from pollution and improve public health without disrupting the delivery of reliable electricity,” according to a statement the EPA released Thursday. “EPA is proud to make good on the Biden-Harris Administration ..read more

Growing populations and tourism in western Montana are straining aging roads, leaving state and local governments to fix problems or make improvements with limited funding, according to transportation officials.  While development-driven infrastructure upgrades are nothing new, the Montana Department of Transportation is trying to keep afloat amid “explosive” growth around Missoula and Kalispell, said Joel Boucher, a state engineer for a nine-county district that includes Missoula, Flathead and Ravalli counties.  “There are so many needs throughout the district that far outpace fund ..read more

Recent months have seen a rash of headlines across Montana regarding multimillion-dollar budget shortfalls in many of the state’s largest public school districts. The specter of cuts to staff and resources for students looms large, and local officials are leveraging the harsh financial outlook in their appeals for additional taxpayer support as voters begin casting ballots in the May 7 school elections. That outlook paints a distressing picture for educators and community members alike. In Missoula, staff reductions in the face of an $8 million shortfall have triggered outcries of public frus ..read more

The United Way of the Lewis and Clark Area has received a $500,000 anonymous donation for the nonprofit’s Helena Inn housing project. The nonprofit on Wednesday announced the donation toward the purchase and renovation of the Helena Inn, 2300 N. Oakes St., to create permanent supportive housing units.  Jeff Buscher, the United Way’s community impact director, said the massive donation had uplifted the project’s hefty fundraising goals. “It gives us some momentum,” Buscher said. “And it gives us the ability to offer matching funds for example; it gives us some credibility with grantors. I ..read more