PODCAST · news
Montana News
by Montana Public Radio
Statewide news from Montana Public Radio
Episodes
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Campaign Beat: Peculiar polls, VIP visits and closing arguments
Polls continue to show a tight race in Montana's western district House race, and a possible blowout in the Senate race. VIPs from the Trump administration continue to visit Montana to get the Republican base to show up. And the latest campaign ads hammer the candidates' closing arguments.
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For some Flathead-area voters, war in Iran is worth the sting of rising costs
In an effort to fire up support for the GOP, President Donald Trump is campaigning for Republican candidates across the country. MTPR’s Clayton Murphy reports on the president’s visit to Kalispell and what some voters in the area are thinking ahead of election day.
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Underground utility line damage in Montana costs more than $50 million per year
A new study finds damage to Montana’s buried utility lines costs millions of dollars annually. The impacts extend far beyond those direct repair bills.
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Montanans will have fewer choices for Medicare coverage this year
It’s time for Montanans on Medicare to choose their coverage. There is one notable change this year, fewer plans offered by private insurance companies.
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Wildlife commission votes on new regulations, approves conservation easement
State wildlife officials met last week to vote on new regulations and an easement. After lots of discussion and public comments, the Montana Fish & Wildlife Commission ruled on a variety of action items, from fishing regulations to frogs to motorboats.
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Groups sue state utility board to force action on climate change
More than a dozen Montana organizations are suing the state’s utility oversight board over climate concerns. They argue that by not accounting for climate change, the Public Service Commission's decisions can have major environmental, economic and health impacts for Montanans.
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Groups sue state utility board to force action on climate change
More than a dozen Montana organizations are suing the state’s utility oversight board over climate concerns. They argue that by not accounting for climate change, the Public Service Commission's decisions can have major environmental, economic and health impacts for Montanans.
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Montanans join No Kings rallies across the state
Hundreds of Montanans gathered Saturday in cities across the state to participate in the national “No Kings” rally. Reporters from Montana Public Radio and Yellowstone Public Radio spoke with protestors in several cities.
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Campaign Beat: Debates, defections and Donald Trump
Montana's western district House race draws a presidential visit. The two candidates in that race get feisty in a recent debate. The chair of the state Democratic party shuns her party's candidate in Montana's Senate race in favor of the independent. And the Senate candidates trade punches in the...
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Trump campaigns for Flint, Alme at Kalispell rally
President Donald Trump addressed a full house in Kalispell Wednesday night. He held a rally in support of U.S. House candidate Aaron Flint and U.S. Senate candidate Kurt Alme.
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Four candidates face-off in chaotic Senate race
The race to be Montana’s next U.S. senator is heating up in the final three weeks until election day. Recent polling shows Republican Kurt Alme has a comfortable lead in the four-way race. Meanwhile, independent Seth Bodnar and Democrat Alani Bankhead have hit the campaign trail hard trying to...
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State lawmakers say Laurel's move to block mental health facility is discriminatory
State lawmakers say the City of Laurel’s decision to block water service to a proposed mental health facility may be violating protections for people with disabilities. Lawmakers may withhold state funding if the city doesn’t reverse course.
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Pharmaceutical company breaks ground on new facility in Hamilton
A pharmaceutical company just broke ground on a new facility, adding to a growing biotech industry in the Bitterroot Valley.
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Montana Democratic Party chair resigns to back independent in the U.S. Senate race
The chair of the Montana Democratic Party has resigned to endorse the independent candidate for U.S. Senate. The chair believes her party’s candidate is not viable.
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Montanans shopping for health insurance face rising costs, shrinking subsidies, fewer choices
Open enrollment for the federal Health Insurance Marketplace starts Nov. 1. People with those plans faced higher premiums this year because of declining financial help from the federal government. Many Montanans chose lower levels of coverage or canceled their plans altogether.
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Montana's Senate hopefuls face off in first all-candidate debate
For the first time this election season, all four of Montana’s U.S. Senate candidates shared a debate stage. The candidates fielded reporters’ questions for a mostly fireworks-free hour-and-a-half at Bozeman’s Field and Stream Lodge.
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Flu season arrives early in the Northwest
It’s fall, which means it’s time to start thinking about getting your flu shot. There are no reported cases in Montana just yet, but the season is starting early in the Northwest.
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Campaign Beat: Ballots, birth dates and betting on Trump
Ballots hit the mail today and voters will have to start making decisions. Recent court rulings overturn restrictive ballot initiative laws and remove a requirement for birth date verification on ballots. The race for a seat on the Supreme Court looks competitive. Debates heat up in the Senate...
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Western district House candidates say affordability is their top concern
The race for Montana’s western district House seat is tight. Recent polls show the two major candidates are tied with no clear lead. MTPR’s Clayton Murphy has this profile of the Democrat and Republican competing for the seat.
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A taste of winter is on the way to western Montana, forecasters say
Western Montana’s temperatures have been unseasonably warm over the past couple of weeks, hovering up to 20 degrees above normal, but a major change is right around the corner.
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PSC District 1 candidates campaign on energy costs, data centers and transparency
Two candidates are vying for the open District 1 seat on the Public Service Commission. This district is the biggest in the state by land and covers much of eastern Montana, from the Rocky Boy’s Reservation to Glendive and Miles City. MTPR’s Clayton Murphy speaks with Keila Szpaller, deputy…
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CI-132: Montana voters will issue a verdict on partisan judicial elections
Montana’s judicial elections are nonpartisan. An initiative to permanently keep it that way will appear on November’s ballot. Republican state legislators have tried unsuccessfully to make judicial elections partisan during recent legislative sessions.
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Supreme Court candidates differ on partisanship, constitutional interpretation
Two judges from the same court are competing for a seat on the Montana Supreme Court. The justices spoke to MTPR’s Clayton Murphy about partisanship, restraint and what they would bring to the bench.
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Assistance available for voting accessibility questions
Election season is here and The Rocky Mountain Americans With Disabilities Act Center wants to make sure that voters know how to access polling locations and ballot drop boxes safely and independently.
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State strikes deal with union on health plan cost increases
State workers will pay more for health care starting next year. State officials say that’s necessary because the cost of the state health plan was higher than expected. The state employees union struck a deal with the state to mitigate some of the price hikes for workers.
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Advocates swap campfire tales in defense of roadless areas
Local hikers, hunters and more shared their personal backcountry experiences at a rally in Missoula last week as the U.S. Forest Service considers a major policy change for roadless lands.
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Campaign Beat: New polling, new ads, new challenges
Recent polls show the Republican ahead in Montana's Senate race, and the Democrat and Republican in the western district House race in a virtual tie. Democratic Senate candidate Alani Bankhead tries to address concerns about her past ties to a Conservative Megachurch. New ads in the House race...
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'Montana Plan' ballot initiative aims to end dark money spending in Montana
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...
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Wildlife officials kill 14 food-conditioned bears gathering at a home near Bozeman
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.
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Bear conflicts hit unprecedented levels in south-central Montana, wildlife managers say
“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.
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Flat tax advocates seek support ahead of the 2027 legislative session
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...
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Campaign Beat: Dark money talks; Senate candidates debate; Gas prices speak volumes
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...
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Bankhead and Bodnar trade barbs Senate race campaign funding
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.
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What’s behind the controversy over American Prairie’s bison?
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...
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State plans cuts to employee health benefits as rising costs strain budget
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.
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EPA announces expanded lead cleanup rules for Butte
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.
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Flathead County health officials warn of measles exposures
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...
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State health department director steps down
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.
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Bear attack near Augusta leaves hunter injured
A Montana man was attacked by a bear Monday morning while he was archery hunting near Augusta.
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New conservation easements protect 20,000 acres from development
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.
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State health officials say Medicaid work requirement rollout is going well
State health officials last week told lawmakers the rollout of work requirements for people on Medicaid is going well. Montana soft-launched Medicaid work requirements July 1, months ahead of the federal deadline to do so.
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FWP kills two food-conditioned grizzlies near Lincoln
Two young adult grizzly bears euthanized in the Lincoln-area were quickly earning a reputation for getting into food-related conflicts. Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Vivica Crowser says the trouble started in late August. Bears are even more food-focused than normal heading into autumn…
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Divided Democrats, candidate conspiracies and new ads: Campaign Beat returns
Montana Democrats continue to bicker over which candidate to support in the U.S. Senate race. New campaign ads highlight the Iran war, taxes and women. And upcoming debates could be pivotal in that Senate race.
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National Conservation Legacy Center Invites visitors on a walk through a 'forest of stories'
The National Museum of Forest Service History has a new center at its 31-acre campus in Missoula. It’s an immersive "forest of stories" honoring the legacy of conservation in the U.S..
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Abortions in Montana increase alongside access to mailed medications
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal protections for abortion access four years ago, Montana providers expected to serve more people from neighboring states with bans. But the ability to put medications in the mail upended that expectation and led to more Montanans getting abortions. A...
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Rep. Zinke announces 'landscape-scale' management plan for the Blackfoot Valley
Rep. Ryan Zinke this week announced a proposal to conserve hundreds of thousands of acres in the Blackfoot Valley. The “A River Runs Through It Act” looks to bring together decades of local conservation work to shape the future of 430,000 acres.
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Open burning ban ends in Ravalli County following rainy weather
The 2026 summer wildfire season continues, but conditions are starting to improve in parts of western Montana
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Planned Parenthood clinic to open in Bozeman
Planned Parenthood of Montana announced this week it’s opening a new clinic in Bozeman. The facility will open its doors next year and will provide reproductive health and abortion services. It’s been more than 20 years since they’ve opened a new clinic.
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Invasive species prevention work on hold amid Trump Administration grant reviews
The Trump Administration eliminated billions of dollars in available grants, and remaining funds are proving difficult to access. That includes for a Montana organization working to protect against invasive species. It’s still waiting for federal money awarded eight months ago. If the money isn’t...
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Legislators subpoena Secretary of State for details on voter rolls sent to the feds
Montana lawmakers have voted to subpoena the Secretary of State. They’re ordering a record of what private voter information the office has sent to the federal government.
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Montana News currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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Statewide news from Montana Public Radio
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Montana News has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Montana News is created and hosted by Montana Public Radio.
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