U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., discussed challenges facing law enforcement during a conference call with rural Montana media members on Thursday, March 21. Although he said federal government can’t do a lot to help specific law enforcement agencies be able to hire new officers, he noted that some federal programs provide assistance to departments. Tester said he has worked to secure targeted

Montana is changing requirements around teacher licensure in order to fill vacancies in the state. The Montana Board of Public Education voted unanimously last week to approve an alternative path to teacher licensure in the hopes it will help get more teachers in the classroom as the state struggles with vacancies. The largest union in the state opposed the decision to approve alternative

With the NCAA “March Madness” basketball tournament going on in full force, I think back of some of my favorite memories of my years watching those games. Many of my favorites come before the days of the goofy delays because of referee replays and a time when most of the players actually stayed in school for four years. Topping my list is North Carolina State’s championship run in 1983,

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is seeking public comment related to the environmental impacts of the proposed list of funding awards for the 2024 Trail Stewardship Program grant cycle. This year the program is recommending $2,000,000 in grant funds to 36 projects around the state. In total, FWP received 40 applications requesting $2.33 million in funding. Applications were submitted by federal

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Hunter Education course dates have been set in several communities across Region 6. All in-person hunter education classes are free of charge. Area classes begin April 1 in Saco, April 15 in Malta and April 17 in Wolf Point. In-person, instructor-led hunter education classroom courses are available to anyone age 10 and older and provide new hunters with a hands-on

Data released by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services after demands by Democrats in the Legislature show that Montanans are losing Medicaid health insurance at a rate higher than expected, and many of those people are children and Native Americans. Moreover, the report shows that majority of Montanans losing health coverage is due to administrative reasons, like incomplete

Colorado College recently released the results of its annual, bipartisan Conservation in the West Poll. As it has for the last several years, it shows that Montanans across the political spectrum are decidedly pro-conservation, prioritizing wildland protection, healthy fish and wildlife habitat, and water quality over industrial development of our public lands. Some of the more telling statistics