The supplemental property tax bills heading to property owners around the state this spring, made necessary by a November Supreme Court decision, represent a monumental headache for both local tax officials and homeowners. They also illustrate how the tax issue has driven a wedge between Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican seeking re-election this year, and local government leaders across Montana’s

Election reform advocates said passing two initiatives that would change how primary and general elections are conducted in Montana would reduce extreme political rhetoric and “brutal” primaries — the same afternoon the Montana Republican party disavowed one of the initiatives as “destructive.” Constitutional Initiative 126 would change Montana primaries to a top-four system, meaning

For years, the tobacco industry marketed smoking, along with all other forms of tobacco use, as a stress reliever. Now, the vaping industry markets its products as stress relief. Make no mistake: the tobacco and vaping industry are the same. Nicotine is the highly addictive chemical used in all tobacco and vaping products. Vaping nicotine makes one feel good by stimulating dopamine in the brain,

Landowners have until May 1 to apply for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ Elk Hunting Access Agreement Program. These EHA agreements, which were established by the 2001 Legislature, provide landowners with an elk license (including elk B), an either-sex permit or combination of the two in exchange for allowing free public hunting access for elk management purposes. The licenses/permits

After a week of legal scuffling, the campaign behind a constitutional amendment to explicitly protect abortion rights in Montana can begin collecting the tens of thousands of signatures it needs to put the proposal on the ballot this November. The green light for the now-officially dubbed Constitutional Initiative-128, much anticipated by sponsor group Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights,

As a direct result of his bipartisan infrastructure law, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has secured $6,938,535 to reduce barriers to accessing high speed internet in underserved communities in Montana. This funding comes from the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program, which Tester funded through his Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Tester worked with five Republicans and four

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is accepting applications from landowners who are interested in participating in the 2024 Block Management Program. Application deadline is June 1. Through the Block Management Program, landowners and FWP work together to help manage wildlife and public hunting activities on enrolled lands. Landowners and FWP enter into voluntary agreements that determine

AgWest Farm Credit has released its quarterly Market Snapshot reports covering the state of major agricultural commodities in its northern region of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. AgWest’s industry experts gather market information from various sources to deliver commodity-specific insights. The 12-month outlook for specific regional agricultural commodities is summarized