Montana News

In most states, people with Medicaid coverage will have to prove they're working, volunteering or studying, starting Jan. 1. But Montana is starting that early, and it's sowing confusion and anxiety.

Elections have consistently broken spending records in the state in recent years, largely due to corporate money. A ballot measure known as the Montana Plan aims to eliminate that kind of spending in Montana, sidestepping a controversial U.S. Supreme Court ruling. That would make the state a national legal test case.

Fourteen black bears were killed last week following an investigation at a Bozeman-area home. Game wardens say the bears had stopped relying on natural foods and were completely unafraid of humans.

“Unprecedented.” That’s the word wildlife managers keep using to describe bear conflicts in Red Lodge. “This year has really been kind of off the charts in terms of conflicts,” says Chrissy Webb, a spokesperson with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

As the next legislative session draws closer, leadership from the Mountain States Policy Center and Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office are trying to gather support for a flat personal income tax for all Montana taxpayers. Advocates promoted the proposal and fielded questions from voters in Helena Thursday.

Montana's Democratic and independent Senate candidates take the gloves off. A TV ad smearing the Republican Senate candidate raises questions about accuracy. The Terminator endorses Montana's Seth Bodnar for Senate. A new billboard targets Republican House candidate Aaron Flint. And a new poll shows Montana gives Trump a lot higher approval rating than the country as a whole.

The independent and Democratic candidates for Senate went head-to-head on campaign funding, tax reform and other policy priorities on Sunday. Democrat Alani Bankhead and independent Seth Bodnar spoke to voters, answering questions from the hosting organization Indivisible Missoula and the crowd.

More than 900 bison owned by American Prairie are at the center of a national debate. The Bureau of Land Management wants them off of federal grazing allotments in northeast Montana. A judge says they can stay temporarily. MTPR's Caroline Weiss sat down with Montana PBS reporter Matt Standal to learn more.

State employees will see big changes to their health care coverage next year. That includes increases to monthly premiums, deductibles and what workers pay per visit to the doctor’s office. The state needs to come up with roughly $70 million to cover state workers’ health care through next year.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced changes to lead cleanup in Butte, as work continues to clean up toxic legacy mine waste in the city. The decision cut the threshold that triggers cleanup of lead in soils within priority residential areas by nearly a third.

Flathead County has warned of measles exposure in several public places. According to The Flathead City-County Health Department, a person with measles visited spots in the county while infectious earlier this month. Measles is very contagious and can spread through the air, even without direct contact with the inflected person.

Gov. Greg Gianforte Tuesday announced the director of the state health department is leaving for a job in the private sector. Charlie Brereton has led the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services for about four years.

More political action committee money is coming to Montana ahead of the November election. Two large organizations have announced endorsements for two candidates in the state’s race for U.S. Senate.

The dangers of unregulated AI are a focal point in the 2026 campaign. Shooting things out of the sky has become a staple of Montana campaign ads. Republicans hope to to keep transgender issues front and center. And a new poll shows the Senate and western district House races tightening.

When kids in Montana experience a mental health crisis, it can be hard to find a facility that can help them. That’s because many facilities that offered crisis care for kids have closed. A new youth home opening in Missoula may help fill that gap.

Wildlife officials killed a grizzly bear Tuesday evening near Augusta in response to livestock depredation. Three cattle carcasses were found in the area. Officials say all were killed by a grizzly bear.

Pollution from mining activity in British Columbia is ending up downstream in Montana and Idaho, threatening the health of these shared waterways. A new film by the Idaho Conservation League highlights Indigenous communities impacted by it and solutions in the works. MTPR’s Caroline Weiss caught up with the director, Jennifer Ekstrom.

State wildlife officials Tuesday released more information on Montana's latest bear attack. According to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, evidence collected at the site of the incident confirms a hunter was attacked by a grizzly bear Monday morning.

A Montana man was attacked by a bear Monday morning while he was archery hunting near Augusta.

Thousands more acres will now remain working forestland in northwest Montana, adding to the area’s network of conservation easements. The largest piece helps fill in a gap in a string of easements, securing public access to the eastern edge of the Cabinet Mountains.

After a century of mining pollution that tinged their creek in orange, Belt residents are finally seeing clear water flow again. It’s one example in Montana’s long effort to clean up its abandoned mines with federal funds.

A Bozeman man arrested by immigration authorities last week has been ordered released after a federal judge found his detention likely unconstitutional.

Anaconda’s news outlet of 56 years published its final paper June 5. Days later, the community experienced its second fatal public shooting in a year. Former Editor-in-Chief of The Anaconda Leader spoke with MTPR’s Victoria Traxler about how that felt alongside the paper closing, and what comes next.

A partner in a proposed data center east of Missoula says he’s backing out of the project after robust public opposition. It’s a win for locals who rallied against it.

As much of the nation broils under a scorching heat wave, Montana is emerging from days of heavy precipitation and unseasonably cool temperatures. Experts say that could lower the fire potential in the state this summer.